Looking Back to 2010: Best Wishes

Trey Smith
Original Post Date: 4/8/10

At one time or another, every person I've ever known has had a wish or a dream. Some are big and grandiose, others are small and of a limited scope. As I sit here pecking away at the keyboard in the wee hours of the morning, I can tell you of my chief wish.

It doesn't involve fortune, though winning a modest sum in a lottery or drawing wouldn't be bad at all. It doesn't involve fame -- I've never desired to be famous. That's not the wish of an anti-social person who values anonymity. In fact, it doesn't involve most of the kinds of things that the vast majority of folks crave or dream about.

My supreme wish is to experience just one day without pain. That's why I'm awake and typing right now. My pain level is too high to accommodate sleep!

I'm not asking for a lifetime free of pain. That would be wholly unrealistic. I'm not desiring an entire year, a month or even a complete week. All I would like is one day.

I would just like to know the feeling of what I'm missing out on. I've spent my life suffering from degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia. I've spent my life dealing with bodily parts swelling, bones crackling and connective tissue writhing. Pain is my constant companion.

But don't feel sorry for me. When you lead a life filled with chronic pain, you get used to it. Though it never goes away or abates, this doesn't mean a person is never happy. I laugh a lot. I clown around a lot. I'm a bit of a wit and it brings me great joy to crack up others.

There are days, however, when the typical pain goes up by several notches and it becomes that much harder to deal with. For those of us with conditions like fibro, these episodes are called flares. I'm in the middle of a real nasty flare right now.

So, again, my number one wish is for one pain-free day. If you'd like to share it, what is your number one wish?

(And yes, you can share your wish or wishes here in 2012.)