A moment of insanity
Whilst holidaying here in Thailand, I had the craziest idea to rent a scooter to get around site seeing. Having already experienced the chaos of the traffic and total lack of any Highway Code by taxi, I must have had a moment of insanity.
They drive on the left, MOST of the time……….
A combined, gracious movement forward…
Venturing off, a little apprehensive, I found myself on a dual carriageway surrounded by traffic of all imaginable kinds: over taking, undertaking, everyone manoeuvring into the best position to move forwards. A large coach sitting literally on my taillight. However, unlike say London, there was not one sound of a horn, zero road rage, no rude hand gestures, it was a combined gracious movement forward to our individual destinations, each respectful of the other. ‘If you go here, I’ll go there’, ‘you take this space I’ll take that’. In essence this is their Highway Code!
The chaos of chronic pain
It reminded me a little of the behaviour of my own chronic pain state. An ongoing mixed flow of peripheral and central traffic, each signal having a specific destination. My Highway Code is pain knowledge, and metaphors such as hurt does not mean harm, motion is lotion etc. With this code I arrive safely at my destination, in pain but not suffering, safe in my knowledge that, at the end of the day, I can achieve my aims and reach my goals within my own and others limitations, trusting that I will not be harmed.
-David Bolton
Phuket
Thanks for that lovely insight David. And I am guessing that reflecting on it strengthens your own pain highway code? And even more so because the reflection was at a “moments of madness”
Keep doing it!
David
Beautiful way of describing how we make it through the hours in the day while in chronic pain. Thanks for sharing David!