FAR AWAY BUT CLOSE TO HOME - VETERANS STORIES 1

Disfigured : An old way of saying that the way you look makes some other people feel uncomfortable.

Conscious : Aware. To be self conscious is to be aware of yourself. To be aware of how you look.

Best left alone

Reg Daye : Musquodoboit Harbour

I lived thirty-five miles from Dartmouth and there were no jobs. All of the jobs had been taken by the time I got back from the war and having operations and such. I was afraid. First work I did, I wasn’t supposed to do hard work, I was trapping. I told my wife I was going trapping. She knew I had trapped, but I never trapped when we were married. I did really good and that helped me a lot. I was alone. I would leave home sometimes Monday morning and not get back until Saturday. It made a big difference to me. When you are disfigured you are self conscious all the time people are near. It doesn’t bother me as much today, but if I go to a place where I am a stranger people stare at me. I know they stare at me, young kids especially. It hasn’t all been a picnic.

157 Words

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