What Illness Teaches Me

One of the things that I learn when I'm sick is more how others feel.  Whether it is back pain or a cold or some muscle ache I've gone through, first hand experience gives me insight into what others face.  We may think we know what it is like to walk in the shoes of another person, but until we've walked in their footsteps, we truly don't understand it.

Even if we have been through some period of illness or pain, time often helps us forget the true ordeal we went through.  Yes, we may remember many parts of what happened, but so much of it gets lost in time.

I'm not promoting the concept that we should be sick and in pain all the time.  This would not be fun for anything and I would think is opposite to the human experience as one can be.  Yet, I know that when we face those rough moments in life, we're much more compassionate towards others.