Pain, it seems, is an unavoidable part of life. We all experience it to some degree, sometimes on an almost daily basis, and for some, it is literally on a daily basis. There are many types of, and varying degrees of pain. Some pain we simply tolerate. Other pain is so severe it is debilitating, preventing us from carrying out any but the most essential tasks. Just as there are different types of pain, there are different causes of our pain. Pain often comes from our own actions, or inaction. Many times it may be the action or inaction of another party. And sometimes, pain just happens.

I wish I could somehow encapsulate all the little details and events that have led to this point. It would take a rather large book to try to capture the process that has occurred, and even then much would no doubt be left out, because it is the BIG pain that grabs our attention, while all along there were those nagging pains that also played a role in reaching this place.

No one likes or enjoys pain, in fact, most of us will go out of our way to avoid pain. But some types of pain may actually be a good thing. As an illustration, I will use a very contracted example based on running that comes in part from a book I read recently. The human body was made to naturally travel on foot, whether by walking or running. The problem? Feet took a beating from sharp rocks, hot and/or frozen surfaces. Hence, the first footwear, a piece of leather strapped to the foot to protect it from pain. Problem? Now the wearer did not have to choose so carefully their next step, increasing the chance of a different type of injury.

Fast forward a few thousand years. Shoes are developed for specific purposes with extra cushioning and support for various activities to alleviate painful occurrences. Problem? All the extras encourage improper form and a more careless approach to the activity, resulting in a new set of injuries and pain occurrences. Okay, so you have to read the book to get the whole picture, but the point is, run barefoot! Doing so will cause some pain, making you adjust the way you run so that you don't hurt yourself! There are a multitude of other examples just among footwear.Take, for example, the fashion shoe. Elevated heels in fashionable women's shoes unnaturally contort the body, causing not only sore feet and legs but back pain as well.

My intent is not to expound on the benefits of going barefoot, though there do seem to be some, but rather to point out that the very attempt to eliminate pain can actually be a cause of deeper and more severe pain. The solution? When pain occurs, stare it in the face and ask, "What am I supposed to learn?"

What, you mean learn from pain? Exactly. EVERY, occurrence of pain is an opportunity to learn and grow, DON'T WASTE IT!

It is difficult to tie all this together. Of course I have been talking about physical pain, and I know that there is some physical pain that has deeper underlying health causes. Even those can be learning experiences, but the pain that can cause us the most distress is the pain we suffer emotionally and spiritually. While these types of pain may be more difficult to identify and address, these are where the greatest opportunities for growth occur.

So many opportunities pass us by because we are focused on trying to find a pain reliever or some way to avoid the pain. When we find ourselves in the midst of the pain we often cry out, "Why?" In those cases we are often looking for someone or something to point a finger at, even if it is ourselves. But if we turn that "why" into a "WHAT" our focus turns from what has happened in the past, to what can happen in the future. Instead of asking "Why did this happen?" we must begin to ask, "What can I learn from this?" If we are to keep moving forward we must look ahead. We must make the pain we experience an ally rather than an enemy. When we make pain an ally we no longer fight against it, but use it to learn, to make adjustments, to make us stronger, and to take us forward, rather than letting it hold us back.

Over the past couple of years as I have taken up running on at least a casual basis, I always wondered why it seemed I could run greater distances when I would run along the beach. It never really made sense as running along the road was smoother and firmer. I've now discovered that it was because I ran differently, although I did it subconsciously. When I ran on the beach I ran barefoot. My stride, gait, literally everything, was different. Now I am learning to take that same approach to my "road running" and seeing significant improvements.

We have faced some pain over the years, and even now are facing one of the most significant levels of pain we have ever experienced. We are building on all those areas of past pain and moving forward through this current experience, making adjustments, learning new things and looking forward. We are looking our pain in the face and asking, "How can we make this work for us, how can we make this an ally?" We will not waste this pain!

Are you looking for a pain reliever, or an ally?