Pain is inevitable. Suffering is Optional.

All of us on the planet are faced with challenges of one sort or another on a daily basis.  Not every path we meet is smooth and carefree. Some paths are - but they are few and far between. For the rest of us, however, pain of some sort is inevitable.

We all know what types of pain we face. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Spiritual pain. The pain that comes with physical growth or deterioration. Emotional growth has us peeling away the layers of the proverbial onion - and onions often burn our eyes! Spiritual growth often demands that we re-think our beliefs and at times, we need to let go of that which no longer makes sense, or sustains us.

We tend to manage these pains - we cover it with plasters. We drink alcohol to numb it. We try to ignore it. We hurt others in an attempt to feel a little better ourselves.  We become quite creative in our ways to do just about anything so that we don't have to feel pain.

There is good news, however. Suffering is optional. It is a choice we can make.There is no need to succumb to the pain that we or some loved one is experiencing. We can choose to look at what is happening, acknowledge the pain, and then attempt to find the way that helps us rise above it. Not to be in denial of the anguish the pain may be causing, Not to pretend it isn't there at all. The more we stay stuck in it, the more power it has over our lives. And it robs us of times that we would rather have filled with happiness.

We can look for the lesson the pain brings. What does it bring into focus?  How does it help us to be grateful for something else? Which part of our lives do we now appreciate more deeply? In what way are we more understanding, sympathetic, empathetic? What new opportunities have arisen from this challenge? What have we learnt that we may otherwise have missed?
Who came to help us? Who showed their true colours? How have we grown?

One thing I know for sure, is that there is nothing that comes into our lives that does not also bring it's gift. Finding that gift may take time and effort, but it is always well worth the search!  Instead of the gray and black you may have been seeing, you might find the pot of gold at the end of that beautiful rainbow of colours that you are now choosing to see instead.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.