Yesterday afternoon I was moving a glass end table (actually a heavy glass end table) out to our storage building. Being the stupid guy I am, I didn’t bother to remove the glass from the table before I moved the table. I think I thought the glass was secured.
To make a stupid story even more stupid, it wasn’t. And the heavy piece of glass came off the table top and hit me on the big toe.
I got a quick real life lesson in pain.
After a few moments of extreme shock and numbness, I somehow completed the job I had started. I was hoping I could walk off the pain.
I made it back inside to the sofa and I realized this particular pain was not the walk off variety. I was hurting from the tip of my toe to my ear lobes. There was a basketball game on TV and I can promise you I don’t know who was winning or who was playing. In an attempt to get relief, I made it into the kitchen and filled a bucket with ice and water to soak my toe.
Later the intense unbearable pain began to subside and I moved into the aching throbbing stage. I eventually was able to make it upstairs and tell my wife what had happened. I could now at least communicate with the world around me.
We went out to eat with friends last night and although I complained about my toe killing me all night, I could now discuss other subjects and carry on normal conversations about things other than my hurting toe.
This morning I woke up to a rough looking toe. I put my shoe on and limped my way to church, determined not to let the aching toe stop me from living. I do wonder how I will make it walking through airports this next week and getting to all the places I have to be, but I will. I will be slower than normal and there will be pain and sometimes severe pain when I step or move in the wrong direction.
Eventually the toe will get back to normal and I will be back to the point where pain is not the object of my focus.
I tell you all this because some of you can relate. Maybe the pain you experienced is not an aching toe but an aching heart.
At first you were in a state of shock before the piercing pain set in. When the piercing pain began, all you could do was be overwhelmed with the pain. There was nothing else in the world. When you made it through that stage, you were then able to talk about your pain to others and communicate with the world around you. Finally you started doing the normal things of life although you were handicapped and still experienced the pain.
Eventually you got back to the point where the pain was not the object of your focus.
Or for some of us, eventually we will.
Pain is pain regardless of the source. And somehow we get through it and cope and move on with life.
Please tell me I’m right.
6 comments:
Well, I could wax eloquent about heart ache and it passing, (see the beautiful pictures of my much prayed for daughter to illustrate) but what I'm really thinking right now is:
"Oh Bruce, get that toe to an x-ray RIGHT NOW! That doesn't look good."
You just preached a sermon because of your hurt toe---God can take anything and use it to glorify Him!! You could use a wheel chair to get around in the airport and get to board first, etc. Bet a testimony would come out of that experience too. HAPPY LIMPING!!
Cheryl Thigpen
Be careful you don't end up with cellulitis in that toe and foot.
Very insightful, I relate very much to your pain as well as the heart ache. Thanks for taking an everyday mishap and showing how we will survive the events that happen in life. And so, there is hope, even when you can't see it, we must cling to it.
Did the glass break?
Looks like that toe will have to come off, sorry.
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