Comparison

Yesterday, I was talking with my chiropractor, Dr. Moore.

We were discussing Bruce Johnson,

 a gentleman running

across America to raise awareness and money

for Community Crisis
Center, Elgin, IL (http://www.unitedstatesrun.com/).

He is running about a marathon a day to accomplish his goal. He's had a few injuries recently, yet he continues to run in spite of the pain.

There are many people who can continue to do amazing things no matter the pain. How do these people accomplish that? There are days where my pain is so intense that I can't do much more than get dressed and make to the sofa. When I compare what I can do with other others do it's frustrating. Why can't I ignore my pain and do......whatever?

But then I stop. Comparison isn't always a good thing. Pain is very personal. Each person is able to handle pain differently. I've learned how to function well with a constant headache; however, some can't lift their heads off a pillow when they have a headache. We don't know how each other feels or what they are feeling. We only know what we experience and what our bodies can tolerate.

Some days I do push myself beyond my limit. But for me, that still backfires, has I end up on the sofa for several days until the pain level lowers to a functional level. But if I don't push myself from time to time, I won't know what I can do or handle. Yet, I can't compare my life with someone else. That's not fair to me or them. I do need to continue doing what I can each day to continue building stamina and tolerance to the pain. I need to work at listening to my body and realize when I'm reaching my limit and when I can push for more.

When I look back to the beginning of my pain journey, I can see the progress I've made. I've learned much about chronic pain and how the body works. I now can tolerate more pain than 9 years ago. And I've learned many techniques to handle chronic pain. Learning to live with pain is a journey. And a great deal of tolerating pain is mental. The mind is powerful and controls much of our health, however, we don't use the power of the mind like we should.

I look at others, like Bruce, who continue with their journeys in spite of the pain and applaud them! For me, I need to work with in my abilities and work toward my goals the way my body and mind allow me. I won't compare my progress to theirs, but their stories and lives will be inspirations to what the body can withstand.

Will I ever run a marathon? Probably not. Even before my injury, I was not a runner. But I do know that if I continue to work on my goals, I'll be closer to them, each year—that is one comparison worth making!

Creating a positive day is a personal achievement. Each day, it takes all my mental, physical, and spiritual abilities to create a day that is positive in all areas of my life. And all that energy spent, is well worth the effort. 

You can also follow Bruce on FaceBook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/United-States-Run/143331158263?ref=nf.