Separate thought: I completely understand. I am not at a point in my life where chronic pain is something I have to deal with, so it's harder to remember to revel in the moments when I feel great, but every time I have a bad headache or a shin splint I feel a bit freer for a week or so afterward. Unfortunately we don't tend to think about pain until we're in it -- we'd be a lot happier if we were able to constantly compare our suffering to the worst suffering we'd ever had.Every day in July 2012, my back hurt. I treated myself with hot showers and yoga, but the pain continued. During a visit to Dale Alexander, a massage therapist, he readjusted something quite dramatically, and in an instant, the chronic pain was gone. I felt free of pain. I am always aware and appreciative of the times I am free of pain.
I recently had headaches for three days straight - woke up with one on day 3 - and the feeling of waking up without one was wonderful the next day. It was probably among the first times I really became concious of what lil describes in her post, the wonderful freedom of not being in pain. You really can't learn to appreciate that fully until you have experienced more persistent, extended pain, I think.