Pain: The Seasoning of Life

By CommunityMember03fc22

1 min read

The pain has brought a different flavor to my life. Much as seasonings bring out different flavors in foods. It's like not having the normal ingredients to make a certain meal, so you substitute something else.

It doesn't stop you from having a meal it changes the taste and perhaps how much you enjoy it. What you have isn't exactly what you wanted. You do the best you can with what you have. Pain is sort of the same thing. It's not what I wanted, it's what I have.

I have to approach things differently to make life palettable. It makes things different but that doesn't mean I can't find enjoyment in being alive and being proud of the things I can do with it. I'm limited. I'm not done. I look now upon the pain like salt and pepper. It goes with everything.

I don't throw out the vegetables for beef stew because I have no meat. I make vegetable soup instead. It's not what I wanted, it's what I have. It's not the flavor I wanted. But it’s the flavor I have and I try to make the best of it.

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CommunityMember03fc22 Member
Somedays are better than others, and my pains have been worse during 2024 than it was through 2023. I need to document better what I feel when, what the exterior factors are, (time, temp, what foods were recently eaten or has it been many hours since eating, any information I can review with the doctors may allow us to identify a pattern or point towards a different type of treatment) this has been a much rainier year locally. I've been less active due to this and other health related issues including recovering from a massive heart attack. So my choice of seasonings have been a lower variety than it's been in the past. One recipe at a time. Thanks for allowing me to give an update. Neil Barker 
1. Rebecca C Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember03fc22" user-id="6718637"/> Hi Neil! Thanks for sharing an update with us. I truly love this analogy you have so elegantly written in 2023. It's so true. I've been struggling to get by this year feeling less mobile and active than in 2023 as well. I'm sorry to hear about the massive heart attack you had. I do hope you are healing up and getting stronger every day. How scary. Some days are better than others, and more than likely not just in my life, but many others in the community as well. Keeping a diary of your meals, activities, emotions, wellness, etc is a great way to manage this difficult disease. Having this handy when seeing your treating physician is quite useful for them in determining your treatment plan. Sorry your seasoning has been getting smaller and variety a little less than. Taking one recipe at a time is a great way to look at things. It's a good way to not overwhelm oneself. Sending you healing thoughts and care for the 2024 year and beyond. Rebecca (Team member)
James Hollens Moderator & Contributor
Hi <inline-mention username="CommunityMember03fc22" user-id="6718637"/> , This is such a wonderfully deep and accurate analogy - I love it! AxSpa certainly adds some spice to our lives and it is definitely higher up on the scoville scale than we would have anticipated! But I suppose we have to find ways of cooling our tongue down or adjusting our pallet to the flavour! How are things going on in your differently seasoned life at the moment? Sending love, James (Community Member)
Anna Samson Moderator & Contributor
I absolutely love this analogy! It is so true. Yes, we may not be living as we had hoped but we can still try to make the best of what we have.