A paper cut occurs when a piece of paper or some other thin, sharp material slices a person's skin, often the upper part of the finger, and often the index finger. Notably, paper cuts can also be caused by thin, sharp materials other than just paper.
What is considered a thin, sharp material?
I remember taking a field trip in third grade to visit an old paper mill. (Thanks Mrs. Andre!). It was my first time really seeing how we use natural resources as power. I can attest that at nine years old, I didn’t know that the “gas” we used to fill up the car was a natural resource. (But I used to enjoy that smell).
It was incredible to see this structure confidently placed on the edge of a stream using its power to create. I remember wondering if the trees standing near this mill were themselves seeded from ancestor trees that were cut down to create paper. Imagine realizing for the first time all that could be created from the force of a small stream or a young oak. That there was so much untapped power right at our grasp.
What is considered a thin, sharp material?
The two essential ingredients for making paper are water and wood. Both elements carry so much weight, existence, and importance. They have existed well before we made our way to Earth and they will be here long after too. Imagine what they have experienced, what they have witnessed.
A single piece of paper knows so much before it even has the opportunity to understand its surroundings. This piece of paper is full of so much power.
What is considered a thin, sharp material?
As we grow up, so much is seemingly predetermined for us. We’re only exposed to what we can find in our surroundings. Sometimes that can be extremely restricting…sometimes profoundly freeing. The world, and our “teachers” around us, set expectations, standards, and “norms” that we are required to abide by - without giving us the opportunity to consider whether we even agree with them or not. We are “drinking the kool aid” blind.
Just like a single sheet of paper, by the time we have the opportunity to understand our surroundings, we may have unknowingly done so much harm. We too are full of so much power.
So again, what is considered a thin, sharp material?
A single piece of paper? A broken branch fallen from a young oak? A sheet of ice floating over a small stream? A word?
A single paper cut can cause pain - unintentionally. It’s one of the cuts that seems to never stop stinging no matter how hard you try to ignore it. It hurts enough that you notice it, you think about it, but eventually it simmers down. Just how when a single person says something hurtful, even unintentionally, it can cause pain. It’s something that you notice, you think about, but eventually it simmers down as time goes on.
It’s exactly how being misgendered feels.
Every time you are misgendered, a new paper cut is formed. By the end of the day, you have five or six new paper cuts…and by the end of the year, over two thousand. The time it takes to heal from a paper cut? Maybe two days and the stinging goes away. But we’re not talking about a one and done paper cut; we’re talking about six a day, every day of the year. By the time two days have passed, you have twelve more… And so on… and so on... So, do these paper cuts ever really heal? Everyone is different, but it takes me a while to get back into my world after being misgendered.
Pieces of paper, young oak trees, and small streams, just like every human, have the power to influence; the power to create; and the power to cause pain. The question is how you choose to use your power.
We are creatures that are continuously growing, learning, and evolving. Be like a home-made piece of paper filled with power. Choose to use your power to love. Be curious about those that you love. Learn how to interact with them, learn how to love them, to support them. We are all pieces of paper hoping that those who are a part of our journey grab the brightest color crayon and draw a beautiful image with us.
Knowing me, I probably still have that piece of paper my third-grade class made on our field trip. Without even holding it, I can feel the bumps, bruises, and creases that it holds. And I can feel the love, courage, and opportunity that it equally has.
Use this as a time to start anew as a home-made piece of paper. Imagine the images that you could draw with those in your world.