Painful Reminders
Today I am grateful for a healthier perspective on life and on myself. I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and the joy he brings to all of us.
The other day I blogged about joy and pain both being necessary in our lives. They are both unavoidable really. I get why people want to avoid pain, but why would someone want to avoid joy? Good question. I don't think it's that people try to avoid joy as much as they simply miss it because they aren't paying attention, or they are focused on the wrong things and those things swallow up the joy. Gratitude practice helps me uncover and notice the joy.
One of my unavoidable pains this time of the year would be splits and cracks on my fingertips. The dry air and cold weather lead to these nuisances that can also be very painful at times. I have tried various lotions and night treatments, but since I use and wash my hands so much, I haven't found an effective way to totally avoid these cracks and splits. They have, however, become an effective perception-builder in their own right.
When they are flaring up, I marvel at the nerve endings in a fingertip because even a little bump can cause an excruciating moment of pain. I remind myself that I would rather have moments of pain than chronic pain. And these cuts don't render my fingers useless, so I can proceed with my day. Perspective. And then a few days later when a couple splits have healed and no fresh ones have emerged yet, I can enjoy that respite. I also enjoy the respite from the humidity. Even though it causes these cracks and splits, I appreciate the drier air after another kind of discomfort during the humid summer months. Perspective.
Do you have any painful reminders in your life? What do they teach you?
This also gets me thinking about the reminders provided by my mastectomy scars. Some painful. Some not. More on that tomorrow.
The other day I blogged about joy and pain both being necessary in our lives. They are both unavoidable really. I get why people want to avoid pain, but why would someone want to avoid joy? Good question. I don't think it's that people try to avoid joy as much as they simply miss it because they aren't paying attention, or they are focused on the wrong things and those things swallow up the joy. Gratitude practice helps me uncover and notice the joy.
One of my unavoidable pains this time of the year would be splits and cracks on my fingertips. The dry air and cold weather lead to these nuisances that can also be very painful at times. I have tried various lotions and night treatments, but since I use and wash my hands so much, I haven't found an effective way to totally avoid these cracks and splits. They have, however, become an effective perception-builder in their own right.
When they are flaring up, I marvel at the nerve endings in a fingertip because even a little bump can cause an excruciating moment of pain. I remind myself that I would rather have moments of pain than chronic pain. And these cuts don't render my fingers useless, so I can proceed with my day. Perspective. And then a few days later when a couple splits have healed and no fresh ones have emerged yet, I can enjoy that respite. I also enjoy the respite from the humidity. Even though it causes these cracks and splits, I appreciate the drier air after another kind of discomfort during the humid summer months. Perspective.
Do you have any painful reminders in your life? What do they teach you?
This also gets me thinking about the reminders provided by my mastectomy scars. Some painful. Some not. More on that tomorrow.
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