Writing about pain is, in itself, a bit of a pain. The first consideration has to be which manifestation of the word to explore. Pain is very eclectic. There are many different interpretations of it’s meaning.
There are women I know who claim that having a baby is about the worst pain one can experience. I can only take their word for it. Even the analogy of pushing a bowling ball through my nostril tests the limits of my imagination. I think my wife put best during the birth of any of the 5, when she referred to it as, “Sweetie, please come over here so I can RIP YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!” I think I’ll stay away from that one.
Then there is the pain of rejection. I’ve spent most of my adult life surrounded by a lot of very creative people. Radio people, actors, comics, writers, musicians - all people who have been rejected in any number of their endeavors at some point in their respective careers and have used it as a catalyst to do something even better. A classic case of pain ideally bringing about plenty of aesthetic pleasure. Nah!
Physical pain hurts too much. “Here’s a nice needle in the eye. How’s that feel?” It hurts like hell. Remember the limits of the imagination that I mentioned a little earlier? They have been stretched to a very appropriately painful point with the mere thought. Nope. Not gonna happen on this go ‘round!
There is always the pain of exclusion and hatred. No matter what the reason, and there are many, it can cut pretty deep. Whether it’s because of race, color, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, weight, height, glasses status or nose size is irrelevant. Everybody wants to be liked and included. It’s said that “sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.” Yes they can. They can hurt a lot. And as a stone can break a bone, an epithet can break a spirit and that is unacceptable. Here’s a little something for the bullies to chew on, though - as you are focusing your energies on hating someone else, they may not even know you exist. You’re often spinning your wheels and wasting your time. So much so, that I won’t pursue this any further. That would be a waste of my time and that, too, is unacceptable.
Maybe we can explore pain by proxy, That pain you feel when something bad happens to someone you care about. That can be especially difficult if you are at a distance and can’t just walk over and give them a reassuring hug or rub their back or some other comforting gesture. The feeling of helplessness can often be more painful that the original issue. This conjures up a very frightening image of flailing about in an ocean of sharks and that makes me uncomfortable enough to drop this investigation like a bad habit right here and right now.
I’m not going to think about pain anymore for a couple of reasons. First, as I mentioned in the beginning, it’s become too much of a pain. And, lastly, I believe I have inadvertently hit upon the best way to alleviate quite a bit of pain - write about it.
THAT'S HOW I FEEL------WHAT CAN I TELL YA'
