as it slithers...

...across the rough surface, its skin continues to rip until it has completely shed its skin.

the snake shed its skin in one continuous process. snakes shed their skin by brushing against something hard and rough, like a rock; creating a rip in their skin. usually this rip begins at the nose or mouth area. the snake continues to work on this rip until it completely removes the skin. some snakes shed their skins as frequently as once in every two months.

this process or occurrence is not always without incidence. things can possibly go awry. sometimes when the old skin is too dry to shed, due to very low humidity in the air, patches of the old skin can remain. these dead skin cells can habour parasites or provide a breeding ground for diseases. Furthermore, if the tip of the tail fails to shed correctly, it can cut off the snake's blood flow over time and actually cause the end portion of the tail to come off.

This shedding is not without purpose. Snakes shed their skin to allow for growth, as well as to remove parasites along with their old skin.


change is not without risk. growing is not without pain.


one has to go through quite a tough and rough time before emerging from the process as a better person. better than the old you. naturally, you would want to change for the better.

for the snake, what lies underneath the old, dead skin is a layer of clean and exciting mix of colours and patterns. something new and fresh to face life with. something to sustain our thirst for the future...in anticipation of the reward that usually comes at the end of hard work.

if we do not seek to grow, change will be forced upon us. change, is inevitable. the difference is, either we arm ourselves for the new uncertainties to come or do we simply let it overwhelm us...drown us.