From the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Chronic Pain Support Group (2003 – 2008), written by Heather McCain
I heard an oral fable told that I will try to transcribe into written word, as it truly captured what happens for me during our meetings each month.
“A group of people met one evening. They came from many different walks of life. They were different in age, race, sex, religion, ability, and temperament. They stood and formed a tight circle. Each person took all the troubles they experienced in life and placed them in a bag. They tied the top of the bag so that their troubles wouldn’t escape and they placed the bag in the middle of the circle. Each person took their turn and explained what was in their bag. At the end of the evening everyone in the circle was allowed to choose the bag they felt they could deal with the best. After all the tales were told, after all the problems were explained, each person took their turn in picking up the bag of troubles they wanted. After all the bags were taken from the circle each person revealed which bag they were going home with. In the end each person had chosen their own bag and their own troubles.”
I like this tale because it explains what occurs for me during our meetings. I listen to what other people endure, deal with, and live with each moment of their day and I am in awe that they are capable of handling their situations with grace, humour, and even hints of optimism.
When I attend a meeting I leave feeling lighter because I have shared my experience, been understood, laughed, and listened to the tales of what others have been through – and frankly after some of your tales I don’t feel like my problems are that hard to deal with. I am often very happy to be leaving with my own bag of problems as I know what they are, they are familiar, and I have devised strategies to live with them; one of these strategies being to come to the meeting each month. So thank you for sharing your bag of problems and making me see that my bag could be worse. Also, you demonstrate for me how to handle your bag of difficulties with dignity and I am inspired to do the same with my own bag of problems.
