A Meaningful Day for Me

(You don't have to watch that video. I couldn't find one of Shawn Colvin performing the song on her own.)

One small year
It's been an eternity
It's taken all of me to get here
Through this one small year

Today is a very meaningful day for me.  One year ago, I took my first yoga class at Chris Gates Tae Kwon Do Health Center, which turned out to be the first step down the road that finally ended my chronic pain experience, and began a new journey into regaining my health and well-being.

One year.

In the past year, I've learned to walk again without pain. I've lost 25 pounds, gone off of my lobotomizing anti-depressants, stopped drinking alcohol, revived my freelance writing career, and not had a single migraine headache. Best of all, I've regained my former active role in our family.

If it were only that one thing alone, I would be inexpressibly grateful. To have all of this other bounty is just...humbling and exalting and uplifting and seems to require a larger response than just feeling this enormous gratitude in every fiber of my being.

I try not to take it for granted. When I pulled into the parking lot at the girls' school for their Halloween parade on Monday, I parked as far away as I could and I breathed a sincere prayer of thanks for the ability to walk into the school to see my kids. It was such a short time ago that I couldn't do that.

When I get ready for bed at night, if it has been a pain-free day (and I have more of them now than I have days with pain,) I try to recognize it and to acknowledge the millions of people out there who have no end to their suffering.  I wish I could convey to them that I know how hopeless they feel.  I wish I could give them hope that it will get better.

Today, as you go about your day, will you do me a favor? Will you notice some of the steps you take without thinking? Will you take a moment to appreciate the things you can do by virtue of your mobility? Will you spare some mindful sympathy for those who are denied this privilege, and send some healing thoughts to those who live with chronic pain?

Namaste, y'all.