Friday, January 05, 2007

Pain

i am going to write about pain today. even though i am totally unworthy to write on the subject, i am going to anyway. our world is full of people who live in excruciating pain everyday... unspeakable illness or loss that is beyond words. hurt that has no apparent explanation. physical agony that is unrelenting or emotional damage that never lets up.

i am no expert, but i am acquainted. it's from a "front row seat" that feel like i am writing today. i have had loss. my psyche has been scarred. my heart has been wounded. my body aches most days. my confidence has been shaken. yet, what i have experienced is nothing compared to others. not even close. nevertheless...

pain is powerful. we can repress it. we can suppress it. we can try to ignore it. we run from it. we are confused by it. it causes tunnel vision. it creates overreaction. it can make us do things we would never do under normal circumstances.

pain draws us into isolation. it makes us put up walls and run from help. it turns us into martyrs. it can make us jealous or angry or afraid or lonely or confused or depressed. pain is nasty and has no favorites. pain is mean and heartless and random and doesn't care who hurts.

pain causes us to blow things out of proportion. it has a long memory or it can cause us to forget things that are most important. it controls our emotions and influences our decisions. it can make us misinterpret motives and forget who our friends are. it robs us of joy and sucks away time and attention. it makes us long for a better place or a better time or a better set of circumstances. pain makes it look really "greener" somewhere else.

are you in pain? my best advice is to be honest about your pain and tell someone about it. don't run from it, but give someone a chance to share your pain with you. get perspective. widen your vision.

three tylenol and ice packs are good also...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi mike - i just saw the new npcc site, and it looks great. i love the charcoal grey. anyway, just wanted to say hi.

-Heather

The Padre said...

if you get this, heather... how are you doing these days? i miss seeing you around. hope everything is great for you!

mike