Choose Your Pain

Yesterday, whilst seated upon the familiar blue couch of my counselor's office, I had what you might call an epiphany.

While I was whining about problems I'd created for myself on the battlefield of love, life, and academics (*terrified gasp*) my counselor said something VERY counselor-y.

"You know, Sarah..." He shifted tentatively in his squeaky-springed chair. "I think, maybe, you're bad at choosing your pain."

"Whaddaya mean?!" I eyed him begrudgingly.

"Pain is, well, inevitable."

I blinked. "Great. Thanks."

"No, really, it is..." He adjusted his wire rimmed glasses and observed me, surely his favorite hot-mess-Monday client, and smiled. "You're often forced in life to choose between two kinds of pain. Some pains are better than others. Think about."

Okay, so, that's true. We pay with pain to avoid greater pain--

We go to our job every day even when we don't want to (PAIN) to avoid being unemployed and potentially homeless and destitute (WORSE PAIN).

We pay hard work (PAIN) to avoid failing all our classes (WORSE PAIN).

We are honest with those we love (PAIN PAIN PAIN!) to avoid heart-wrenching situations down the road (WORSERERER PAIN).

So, really-

It's all a great trade-off of pain.

"So, with your friends," my counselor continued. "With this guy, with your parents, with your schoolwork, with YOURSELF..."

"I need to choose my pain wisely," I finished.

I do.

We all do!

We need to have a healthy perspective on the kinds of pain that we need, and the kinds that are worth paying off in advance.

Here is a handy list I've made for you of things that may cause a kind of pain that is WORTHWHILE:

-Being HONEST
-Writing that paper that will help you pass that class
-Listening to your parents' advice
-Reading my blog
-cooking healthy balanced meals
-Exercising every now and then
-Not screwing around with people who won't be there a year from now
-finishing college
-going to work
-washing your pillowcases more often
-being real with yourself

And, likewise, here is a handy list of things that cause a kind of pain that SUCKS (SO DON'T DO THESE THINGS):

-Being fake
-Dating someone just because you're lonely and needy (*laughs nervously*)
-Forcing yourself to stay in a major/career/situation you detest because of fear
-Letting people walk all over you
-Not reading my blog
-LYING TO YOURSELF
-LYING TO OTHERS
-DON'T LIE

So, yeah...

Guys, there are things that are hard. Honesty. Schoolwork. Being genuine. Doing what's right. Staying strong in the face of adversity. Being the bigger person.

Those things may hurt.

But really... not doing them? Well. That'll hurt more, and maybe we should all stop lying to ourselves about that fact and just buckle down and choose our pain WISELY! Or pain will choose YOU.

Be careful out there, folks... *closes door slowly* until next time.