Warrior

Fate whispers to the warrior, “you cannot withstand the storm.” And the warrior whispers back “I am the storm.” ~ unknown

I love this “warrior” quote and have referred back to it many times throughout my battles with chronic pain. It is the defiance of answering fate back that most appeals to me. The thought that OK, I have my lot in life but I don’t have to like it or accept it.

So often now, we see titles such as Chronic Pain warrior, Fibromyalgia warrior, Chronic Illness warrior, Spoonie warrior. They are everywhere, often preceded by the # on social media. But what does it really mean to be tagged warrior? Do you have what it takes to even be a warrior?

The definition of warrior is “one who is engaged in or experienced in battle.” Other meanings include “one who is engaged in conflict or struggle.”

“A person who has shown great vigour, courage or aggressiveness.”

For me personally, I often shy away from using the word suffer when referring to my chronic pain journey. I prefer the word battle. My head tells me that this word sends out the message to the universe that I am fighting. Suffering I might be but battling is how I want to be perceived. There are many times when I don’t feel much like a warrior but no matter what life throws at me, I somehow tell myself the fight must go on. The alternatives are too hard to contemplate, so resolutely I “soldier” on determined not to let pain and fatigue get the better of me.

Now, I absolutely know that I am not unique, nor am I some kind of hero. I am just another warrior who has no alternatives than to fight on. I know that for you reading this, you too are a warrior and committed to the battle. How do I know? Because if you were not a warrior, you definitely would not be on a website that looks to support a healthy, positive life with chronic pain. You certainly wouldn’t be looking to empower yourself and search for answers if you were not determined and unwavering in your quest for better health.

We fight for our health everyday in ways that most people don’t understand.

For those of us battling chronic pain, its the little things that most people take for granted that makes us strong. The effort to get moving. To get out of bed in the morning, even when it would be easier to stay there. Our determination to keep going when our whole body is crying out enough. The smiles we paint onto our faces which mask the tears of pain and frustration.

Our abilities to resist the temptation to punch the doctor. You know the one, who tells us that we need to pull ourselves together and snap out of it. It’s the way that we hide our disappointment and sadness when friends and loved ones give us a wide berth for saying “no” one too many times. The relentless march to look normal when we are feeling anything but. It’s the keeping, keeping on when we are so exhausted we just want it all to stop.

The days when the last thing we want to do is be the victim, but our pain and fatigue overwhelms us anyway.

For all of these reasons and for many more, we ARE warriors. It is not some tag or label, it is truly our reality. Every day we go to war, engage in battle just to get through the day. We fight with everything we have, just for some normality. We stand strong in our unwavering support and acknowledgment of our fellow warriors. Knowing that nobody understands and lifts them up like another warrior. We are constantly on a quest for the smallest victories – holding down a job, attending a family wedding, a walk in the park or just getting dressed.

To every warrior out there battling their chronic pain and fatigue, I salute you. I stand alongside of you in your battle for health, wellness and some sense of normality. Check out how I can support you by clicking this link.

For my birthday earlier this year, my husband bought me the CD from the Greatest Showman. He wanted me to hear the words from the song “This is me.” Today, I dedicate those words to you.

I opted to share this emotionally charged clip as opposed to the one from the actual show.  She is scared but she did it anyway!! Enjoy her triumph and if you love the video as much as I do, drop a comment in the box below and let me know.

“We are Warriors, yeah, that’s what we’ll become.”

 

 

Signature