PAIN, an Unavoidable Part of Life

Today, I learned that pain is unavoidable. I've spent the majority of my life running from it, losing much because I didn't want to endure the hard part of life. I guess you could say that I felt I had paid my dues, so to speak. I'd suffered neglect and abandonment by both parents. An alcoholic grandparent, well two actually, and a mother addicted to drugs was enough I thought. When you've hurt for as long as you can remember, then it's not something you run to, that's for sure. But then...

Pain teaches us like nothing else. My grandmother used to say things like, "You can get a lesson for free or you can buy it with pain. What would a smart person do?" You know, I've pondered that, for real. Of course, most smart people want it free, but I've never been that smart. LOL! In fact, I can say that God says the same to me, and foolishly, I answer Him much the same. I make mistakes that could be avoided by trusting God and not people. I make mistakes that I could avoid by praying first, speaking later. Ha! Boy, that's a whole different post for another day. Suffice it to say that February 13th was one of the most agonizing days of the past couple of years. That's saying something when I was supposed to be dead by June 2006. That's saying something when I was homeless at the time, living with a friend, unable to buy my medicine, etc.

I said all that to say this: we cannot live in this world without pain, but we can learn lessons from it. We can adjust so that we minimize its effects on those around us. We can change how we respond to exterior stimuli, and learn to manage the interior, mental balance. Pain is not the worst thing in the world... indeed, I think being happy all the time without pain is probably the worst thing in the world.