A long time ago, maybe 18 years, I was reading a mini book about chronic pain and there was a quote that struck me, and you may have see this before too: "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional." I wish I could give proper credit to the author, but that little book is long gone with the several moves I have made. The reality of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that both chronic pain
and misery are inevitable. The optional part is how you choose to approach pain and misery. Not a task for wimps, that's for sure! I am impressed and inspired by the number of people with Fibromyalgia/CFS that approach their illness with dignity, grace, fortitude, humor and comraderie. Not every chronic illness has both components; dealing with pain and misery together is the sign of a courageous warrior. It isn't easy to identify these warriors, because they wear a clever disguise: smiles. How remarkable is that? These warriors look "normal", they act "normal" and they don't complain. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. The energy it takes to be among other people and have a conversation is astounding. Especially when word find is so difficult and fighting through foggy confusion to gain clarity is ever present. And that dang pain and misery can be so hard to ignore with its constant tug at the consious brain. Kudos to all those warriors that wear their clever disguise every day and to those warriors that dare to tell the truth in a public forum. You open yourself up for criticism, but to say nothing is to risk nothing and is to be nothing. I heard that line not long ago and I'll be darned if I can recall who said that!!
I thought I would share something from my garden that inspired me today. These blooms are so fleeting, they last about a day. It reminds me of the moments when I can push the pain and misery from the forefront and it becomes mere background noise. Whatever you do today, enjoy your moments! Blessings to you . . .
The other day we had rain . . . I'm talking buckets of rain. Spillways and streams have been silent in suspended animation all summer as they wait patiently for the rains. We haven't had rain for 7 months so the first rain is quite a welcome site. I water my garden during the dry summer, but many plants just struggle for survival as they yearn for mother nature's life giving rain. So the other morning my plants gayly reached for the sky in delight as rain caressed each tiny leaf. Those plants that struggled the day before for their mere existance flourish today in celebration of the rain. It reminded me of being back in the midwest where I grew up. We referred to the heavy rain as raining cats and dogs. We even had a rare clap of thunder with lightening just like the midwest. You may already know that lightening liberates nitrogen from the air, which provides the nutrients that plants need to thrive. The day before the rain my newly planted impatients looked droopy and sad. I thought I had done everything I could for them, but what they needed was the one thing I couldn't provide -- rain. The rain is the harbinger of autumn, and winter to come here in Southern California.
I spent time in my garden today with all the happy plants . . . and the weeds. It's wonderfully cool outside and perfect for getting grounded in the garden. Connecting to the earth helps us to ground our energy and regain a beneficial energy flow. My good friend, Shirley, introduced me to Earthing, which is method of grounding with Mother Earth. I always knew that digging in the dirt felt so therapeutic; no matter how much pain I have, I am always drawn
