Courage: an action geared towards temporarily/permanently subduing the enemy ...

I read about courage here. The "complaints" are necessary because they are true. This is a "safe" place to share. Sometimes there is no other place to share.

We've all probably learned that even close friends/family have a limit for what they can hear and remain helpful. This is natural. They are not loosing their compassion. They begin loosing their ability to cope with pain beyond their experience.

I'm learning not to blame ... anyone (including my health conditions) for anything. "Blame" sentences originate in our anger. Anger is made of: HURT (physical/emotional); FEAR OF BEING HURT AGAIN; FRUSTRATION (of not being in control); INJUSTICE (Why did this happen to me?).

Truly, the only answer to our situations is either injury/organic. WE CAN ONLY DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE!

The same is true about our family, friends and others bouncing in and out of our worlds.

Everyone gets to choose what they might do to help themselves and/or others.

There are, outside of medical treatments, methods of making sure we are acting (or not) on thoughts that are TRUE. For instance: "Today I am so tired I can hardly move and I have to wash my dishes (maybe it's been a while)." This thought seems true but is it really? If I can "hardly" move then I have to ability to move some. If I take advantage of that small bit of energy and use it to go to the kitchen (maybe I have to sit in a chair when I get there) then I have understood that the sentence is really false. I SUBDUED the fatigue long enough to accomplish something (no matter how small).

This is not the power of "positive" thinking. This is me taking advantage of the strength I've found to set a smaller goal (getting to the kitchen).

I can choose, thought it is a difficult thing to do if you've been down (or are still down) that "rabbit hole" as I have been. I had the help of a great therapist. I was amazed that she simply pointed out a choice, in using my thinking to control my emotions, that I used daily but had not yet used it to overcome problems caused by my illness(es).

Thought I would share.

I continue to be amazed and thankful for the honesty and courage to be found in these posts! Living in a reality where varieties of chronic pain:
*provides daily misery;
* is deemed "invisible" due to friends and family being unaware of it's debilitating actions;
*destroys relationships as our family and friends often render harsh judgements, ridicule and rejection to its victims;
*seeks to create hopeless futures, depression being its dark companion;
*creates my heroes and champions as the realizations of happiness being a choice and that hope is best found in faith!

Mike your words are to inspire others to do what they can while they can,a notion that i have been telling myself for quite some time and to also remember what you dont get done today can be done tomorrow or the next,changing your train of thought can be a positive step towards coping with terrible pain and the feeling of achievement,Dont be afraid to seek the help that is available to help you manage your dissability and pain.

You poor girl. All that pain and suffering at such a young age. My pain comes nowhere near what yours is doing to your body. I do have scoliosis but am lucky in that it only causes what I call toothache from shoulders to waist but being on pain relief medication for so long, my body doesnt respond. I am 76 - even the pain clinic has given up on me and stopped giving me facet joint injections because even they werent working after 8 yrs of treatment. However I am still able to physically get out and about....I also suffer with osteoarthritis lower back, so between the two different types of pain, some days when they both decide to misbehave, its not much fun at all. But I really do appreciate reaching this grand age with not too many health problems. I really do feel for you and think you are handling your life so well.

All of what you say Mike is true in my world!