Living through the Pain

September 11, 2001, twelve years later…..

Everyone of a certain age remembers where they were on that fateful day.  The memories often are as real today for some as they were that day.  As a therapist I had a full day of clients on 9/11/2001 and the only topic was what had happened and the fear of what was to come.  It was amazing to talk with people who forgot about their problems for a moment and focused on the pain that Americans were collectively feeling.  It was a painful day in so many different ways but those of us left standing lived through the pain.

How often do we create our own pain?  Even without recognizing what we are doing and the cost of our actions, we end up creating pain.  Addictions always create pain.  No matter how we attempt to rationalize the activity is it always followed by pain.  What is fascinating is that there is so much pain that is present in the world yet we still do behaviors which create even more pain.  I have often wondered what any of those souls whose lives were lost on the fateful day would say to us about living life.  Other than the terrorists who caused these deaths, we have to believe that those who died wanted to live. How different would each of those people live their lives today if given a chance.  Their deaths should be a marker to the rest of us about living a “life well lived”.  Are you doing all that you can to keep pain at a minimum?  Do you assist others today in the ways you were willing to assist people on 9/11/2001?  How are you living through the pain twelve years later?

Many years ago the following was sent to me, untitled and anonymous, but it seems to fit quite well with the topic of the day.  Please take a moment to reflect on these words:

An old man once said:  “There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the drama and the people who create it…..You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good.  So, Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t….Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living”.

Here’s to living – even if it is living through the pain.

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” –  Khalil Gibran