We Carry Our Pains

I got out of bed and painfully straightened up on my legs, tenderly shifting my weight as I got dressed. Soreness plagued all of my leg muscles, my abdomen, my back, and even my neck. Just the thought of squatting or bending over was enough to make me cringe. I used to heal so much faster in high school and college!*

It started on Saturday morning as I eagerly joined in on a fun game of five on five flag football with some guys in the community. We played for two hours, enough time for me to get to play all positions. When we won I felt like a hero, but when my muscles cooled down again, soreness set in
until I was hobbling about all day, into the next day, and now the third day.

I went to the chiropractor this afternoon. I've been having some nerve pain down my left leg since this summer and I have been hoping he could help me with that. Today he let me know that my right leg is shorter than my left. What? How could I live twenty five years not knowing my right leg was shorter? I guess that explains some things. He proceeded to realign my spine from all the ways I carry myself wrong and all of the stress I put on it (including the fall on the football field).

As I get slightly older, I begin to notice how my body carries memories, carries pain. I can't ignore everything and hope it will heal in time. Some things need attention, need stretching, need somebody to help.

Tonight I had a beer with my best friend and we got to talk about how we're doing, how we're seeing God in our lives, what we love, what we are having a hard time with. I thank God for my friend! It's not by what he says that he helps me. He has walked with me faithfully in my life and cared about me; I am reminded of who I am and the stories of who I have been. Into our conversations and shared experiences we carry with us our pains and joys of the past. And we are each other's doctor, listening to a heartbeat, checking out a spine, stretching out any sore muscles. We listen to one another and love one another and in so doing remind one another of who we really are.



*I'm starting to sound like my dad! In college I played one season of club rugby and I remember after every match I would be totally out of commission the next day, sore from head to toe. Then the following day I would be totally fine. But seven years later I guess it's increased to two days of pain. Oh well.