Coffee With An Attitude Please
I was just informed by my girlfriend that I make coffee with an attitude each morning.
Really? I was unaware of this until she informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I am a total grump in the morning.
Well I suppose this is true.
However, I wake each and every morning 365 days a year with pain.
Sometimes it's more than just mere pain...
I'm in complete agony from chronic lower back pain.
And I really am disappointed in myself for letting my attitude slip in the last few months.
It's comical now that I think about it.
You see I know better than to wake with an attitude.
Or go to bed with one for that matter.
The old adage is true folks, attitude is everything and I have let the trials and tribulations I have encountered in the last few months to yet again take over my disposition.
And I have let myself and others down by letting my chronic lower back pain take over my life again.
I will give you a little recap of why I have an attitude: · Eight operations on my lower back (levels L4-5, L3-4 and L-2 S1) including 2 fusions, discectomies, hardware removal, laminectomies and a cleanout · 15 epidural injections · Countless hospital stays; I stopped counting at around 25 · Numerous visits to numerous physicians · A recent spinal infection · Battles with insurance companies over coverage, bills, share of cost, etc.
As of this date, I am $400,000.
00 in debt; all medical bills But you see I know better than to let all this control my life and I am usually positive and upbeat, given my current circumstances.
Yes I am in pain twenty four hours a day and I learned a long time ago that a person's attitude and disposition is an invaluable tool to have in our arsenal as we wage our daily battle with chronic pain.
Chronic pain can and will take complete control of or lives, if we let it.
And that's exactly what I did at one point in my life.
I let my chronic lower back pain take complete control of my life and it kicked my butt day in and day out.
However, my pain may be winning the battle but I am going to win the war.
You see my friends our pain is just that, a battle we wage day in and day out.
Sometimes we may advance a little and other times we make have to retreat and live to fight another day.
But this in no uncertain terms means that we have to have a bad attitude whether we are on the front lines or in the rear.
You may be sitting on your couch, or lying in pain in bed, and you are not in the mood to do anything but wallow in your pain all the while mired in what I like to call the "poor woe is me syndrome" and that is the biggest mistake we can make.
When we do this, we are waving the white flag and in essence we are giving our chronic pain an open invitation to take COMPLETE control of our lives.
I do feel your pain and wish I could wave a magic wand, and take your pain away and all that accompanies it.
Oh how I would give anything to take our pain away.
Fear not though because there is hope and you too can have an "Ah Ha" moment as I did.
It was the spring of 2003 and after a winter of complete pain, severe depression and utter disarray when my attitude changed my life, for the better I awoke one morning in severe pain and a bad mood, as I did most mornings.
While I was brushing my teeth I took a LONG look at myself in the mirror and I did not like the person looking back at me.
In fact, I loathed that person.
You see I was a leader and the person in my circle of friends who always lifted other people's spirits by simply having the attitude that nothing can get me down and doing it with a smile on my face.
Until the day I blew out a disc (L4-5) and my life changed forever.
As I'm sure many of you are in the same position.
Well, as I was staring at the ugly person in the mirror I began to take stock of my life, and I decided right then and there that from that day forward I would never let my chronic lower back pain control my life.
I started to look at my pain as a life-long war we wage and I would do anything to win.
As we all know, a war is seldom won in one day and some continue for years, even lifetimes.
Our wars we wage with chronic lower back pain are no different, and some people will wage a lifetime war with chronic pain.
We will win some battles and lose some along the way.
Retreats are our friend because they afford us the opportunity to go to the rear, reorganize and come up with new strategies.
Do NOT let these setbacks, no matter how or large or small, consume you.
And you can believe this or not, but our attitude can dictate whether we win or lose the war or.
When we have a bad attitude (in any situation, not just chronic lower back pain) we let our attitudes become the general on the battlefield and as we all now, generals run the show when it comes to wars.
Sometimes we need a reminder from a friend or loved one as was the case this morning when my girlfriend had to remind me, in no uncertain terms, that I was once again letting my attitude run the war.
It's funny how in life we KNOW that we may be doing something detrimental to ourselves and others, yet we continue down this road, time and time again.
And you know what? After my coffee with an attitude, I thanked her and gave her a big hug and kiss and walked away with a smile on my face and new disposition.
She has been my rock and my salvation and I can never repay her for putting up with me during the time's I let my attitude change from good to bad.
I am human after all.
Attitude is everything.
If we go into the war with the attitude that we are losing or are going to lose, well then we are going to lose.
I'd like you to do me a favor -- try to take a different approach tomorrow when you wake.
As you lay in bed tomorrow morning please take a moment to reflect on you journey and tell yourself that the moment your feet hit the floor you will have a smile on your face and shout to the heavens for all to hear that from this day forward you will go into your battles with the attitude that nothing will get you down, be it pain, finances, problems at the work place, or any other problem you may be facing and visualize yourself winning the battles that will eventually lead to you winning the war.
I wish you the best in your endeavors and know that you are not alone.
We are one my friends and if I can ever be of any assistance, please click on the link in the resource box.
This will take you to my back pain blog and I will be more than happy to correspond with you.
Good luck all! Oh yea, smile would ya? Geez...
Really? I was unaware of this until she informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I am a total grump in the morning.
Well I suppose this is true.
However, I wake each and every morning 365 days a year with pain.
Sometimes it's more than just mere pain...
I'm in complete agony from chronic lower back pain.
And I really am disappointed in myself for letting my attitude slip in the last few months.
It's comical now that I think about it.
You see I know better than to wake with an attitude.
Or go to bed with one for that matter.
The old adage is true folks, attitude is everything and I have let the trials and tribulations I have encountered in the last few months to yet again take over my disposition.
And I have let myself and others down by letting my chronic lower back pain take over my life again.
I will give you a little recap of why I have an attitude: · Eight operations on my lower back (levels L4-5, L3-4 and L-2 S1) including 2 fusions, discectomies, hardware removal, laminectomies and a cleanout · 15 epidural injections · Countless hospital stays; I stopped counting at around 25 · Numerous visits to numerous physicians · A recent spinal infection · Battles with insurance companies over coverage, bills, share of cost, etc.
As of this date, I am $400,000.
00 in debt; all medical bills But you see I know better than to let all this control my life and I am usually positive and upbeat, given my current circumstances.
Yes I am in pain twenty four hours a day and I learned a long time ago that a person's attitude and disposition is an invaluable tool to have in our arsenal as we wage our daily battle with chronic pain.
Chronic pain can and will take complete control of or lives, if we let it.
And that's exactly what I did at one point in my life.
I let my chronic lower back pain take complete control of my life and it kicked my butt day in and day out.
However, my pain may be winning the battle but I am going to win the war.
You see my friends our pain is just that, a battle we wage day in and day out.
Sometimes we may advance a little and other times we make have to retreat and live to fight another day.
But this in no uncertain terms means that we have to have a bad attitude whether we are on the front lines or in the rear.
You may be sitting on your couch, or lying in pain in bed, and you are not in the mood to do anything but wallow in your pain all the while mired in what I like to call the "poor woe is me syndrome" and that is the biggest mistake we can make.
When we do this, we are waving the white flag and in essence we are giving our chronic pain an open invitation to take COMPLETE control of our lives.
I do feel your pain and wish I could wave a magic wand, and take your pain away and all that accompanies it.
Oh how I would give anything to take our pain away.
Fear not though because there is hope and you too can have an "Ah Ha" moment as I did.
It was the spring of 2003 and after a winter of complete pain, severe depression and utter disarray when my attitude changed my life, for the better I awoke one morning in severe pain and a bad mood, as I did most mornings.
While I was brushing my teeth I took a LONG look at myself in the mirror and I did not like the person looking back at me.
In fact, I loathed that person.
You see I was a leader and the person in my circle of friends who always lifted other people's spirits by simply having the attitude that nothing can get me down and doing it with a smile on my face.
Until the day I blew out a disc (L4-5) and my life changed forever.
As I'm sure many of you are in the same position.
Well, as I was staring at the ugly person in the mirror I began to take stock of my life, and I decided right then and there that from that day forward I would never let my chronic lower back pain control my life.
I started to look at my pain as a life-long war we wage and I would do anything to win.
As we all know, a war is seldom won in one day and some continue for years, even lifetimes.
Our wars we wage with chronic lower back pain are no different, and some people will wage a lifetime war with chronic pain.
We will win some battles and lose some along the way.
Retreats are our friend because they afford us the opportunity to go to the rear, reorganize and come up with new strategies.
Do NOT let these setbacks, no matter how or large or small, consume you.
And you can believe this or not, but our attitude can dictate whether we win or lose the war or.
When we have a bad attitude (in any situation, not just chronic lower back pain) we let our attitudes become the general on the battlefield and as we all now, generals run the show when it comes to wars.
Sometimes we need a reminder from a friend or loved one as was the case this morning when my girlfriend had to remind me, in no uncertain terms, that I was once again letting my attitude run the war.
It's funny how in life we KNOW that we may be doing something detrimental to ourselves and others, yet we continue down this road, time and time again.
And you know what? After my coffee with an attitude, I thanked her and gave her a big hug and kiss and walked away with a smile on my face and new disposition.
She has been my rock and my salvation and I can never repay her for putting up with me during the time's I let my attitude change from good to bad.
I am human after all.
Attitude is everything.
If we go into the war with the attitude that we are losing or are going to lose, well then we are going to lose.
I'd like you to do me a favor -- try to take a different approach tomorrow when you wake.
As you lay in bed tomorrow morning please take a moment to reflect on you journey and tell yourself that the moment your feet hit the floor you will have a smile on your face and shout to the heavens for all to hear that from this day forward you will go into your battles with the attitude that nothing will get you down, be it pain, finances, problems at the work place, or any other problem you may be facing and visualize yourself winning the battles that will eventually lead to you winning the war.
I wish you the best in your endeavors and know that you are not alone.
We are one my friends and if I can ever be of any assistance, please click on the link in the resource box.
This will take you to my back pain blog and I will be more than happy to correspond with you.
Good luck all! Oh yea, smile would ya? Geez...
