Pain is My Friend
No! No! No! I am not a masochist, one who takes pleasure in being in pain. Neither am I a sadist, who enjoys inflicting pain on others. I am just your regular, run-ofthe-mill guy who has his share of aches and pains. That’s inevitable when you live as long as I have.
For those of my younger readers, you may not experience the daily visits of pain telling your body that you’re getting older. Perhaps you had a lingering injury that keeps reminding you that pain receptors are part of your anatomy. A bruise, a cut, a strained muscle may be your reminder.
Those of us that have lived past middle age, know the chronic companionship of ouchies and boo boos. As we seniors say to one another, “Growing old ain’t for sissies!”
Despite the discomfort of chronic pain, and the serious suffering that some endure, there is another perspective about pain. If we didn’t experience pain, we might be in serious trouble. Just ask people who have constant numbness in their extremities.
Remember when the dentist numbed you to fill a cavity or do other dental work? You couldn’t feel your cheek. The dentist warned you to be careful not to bite a hole in your cheek. That numbness, that absence of pain, could be dangerous.
Imagine that one of your feet was numb. You couldn’t feel anything in that foot. Then you stepped on a nail or a piece of broken glass. But you couldn’t feel that injury. That could be a problem. In that case, pain would be your friend, warning you that something is wrong. Beware! Take care!
Similarly, when your stomach hurts, it is your body telling you that something is wrong. Ditto when your back hurts or your shoulder, or fill-in-the blank. Pain is your body’s way of alerting you that all is not well. Perhaps you need to rest that strained muscle, or wrap that twisted ankle, or bandage that wound. Maybe some pain medication is needed.
The discomfort from fever reminds us that some infection has invaded our bodies. Time to rest, drink plenty of liquids. Perhaps consult a doctor for some antibiotics.
All of the examples above are ways that pain is our friend. It is the warning that alerts us to watch out, be vigilant, take action to remedy a problem. A problem of which we might not be aware without the friendly, or not-so-friendly, reminder of pain.
For us oldies, who experience constant, chronic pain, it is a reminder that we are wearing out. We’re not 30 years old any more. There is a long and growing list of the things we can no longer do. No more sprinting, jumping, summersaulting, etc. Even in those cases, when the pain never seems to go away, it tells us to be careful where we walk, when we stoop, when we lift.
Sometimes it’s good to take a different look at what we thought was negative and see the positive as well.