Living in pain

 I never honestly sympathized with them...those friends and acquaintances who lived in constant pain.

Oh yes, I said all the right things, tut-tutted and murmured the right words of understanding. I meant them, for sure, being cognizant of the suffering they were enduring and wanting to offer comfort.

But did I really understand? Could I possibly feel the same pangs of anguish they expressed? 

No. Until pain becomes part of every minute of every day, it's impossible to truly understand someone's agony.

In late November, I had surgery. The entire month leading up to it was dedicated to rest. Doctor's orders. Surgery was successful, but all of December and part of January was dedicated to rest and very mild exercise. Doctor's orders. 

I'm not an exerciser by nature anyway, so being sedentary suited my lifestyle very well. I didn't mind at all being at my computer editing novels, connecting with Facebook friends, and spending hours in our home office. 

But those months of inactivity resulted in a long-lasting and worsening case of sciatica, which began in February and has lingered to this day. The searing pain leaves me breathless sometimes and makes doing even the simplest of tasks impossible. 

I won't ever again take for granted someone's suffering. My sympathy will be real. Such is the lesson learned from my own experience with unrelenting pain.