Easing The Pain

“Flexibility means the ability to bend mentally and physically, to adapt one’s self to any circumstances or environment while maintaining self-control and composure.”

Napoleon Hill

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about the comparison between back pain and life’s pains.

Our foursome was enjoying the customary Memorial Day round of golf. We arrived at the challenging par 3, sixth hole and I reminded myself not to worry about the water in front of me or the sand traps protecting the front of the green. My final thought before swinging was to swing easy and let the club do the work.

As I stroked the ball and let my body follow through with the swing, an excruciating pain suddenly shot through my lower back and down my right leg. Before I knew it, I was on my knees, unable to move. After several minutes of careful maneuvering, I hobbled over to the golf cart. Needless to say, I didn’t finish the hole or the round of golf.

For the next several days I endured several visits to the doctor, chiropractor and physical therapist. As the therapist concluded her initial consultation, she indicated I had a problem with flexibility. “I rate patients on a scale of unsatisfactory, marginal or satisfactory,” she said.

“Where do I fit on your scale?” I asked.

“Let’s just say it is going to take considerable effort to get you to a marginal level of flexibility. Until you increase your flexibility,” she continued, “the pain will persist.”

Lack of flexibility isn’t a one-time event. It often creeps up on you without advance notice or warning. The climax is painful and sometimes paralyzing. There is no quick-fix prescription for healing. It normally involves a lifetime of exercises designed to increase flexibility and thus minimize the pain.

I’ve learned the hard way that intermittent stretching won’t fix the problem. If I perform the prescribed exercises only when the pain surfaces the result is temporary relief. Permanent improvement in my flexibility requires adjustments in the way I sit and stand, learning to adequately stretch before physical activity and maintaining a daily regimen of exercises.

There is a direct correlation between the challenge of maintaining physical flexibility and the ability to remain mentally and emotionally flexible through life’s challenges, changes, painful moments, and demands. People stuck in habitual behavior and thinking, without being strengthened by a fair amount of stretching beyond what’s currently comfortable, will sooner or later experience considerable discomfort.

These are unsettling times in which we live. Anyone who pretends that life goes as planned is a consummate fool. Stability is no longer on the agenda and adapting only to your own schedule isn’t acceptable. Success in this environment requires continual flexibility and adaptability. Consider this -- if the rate of change in the world exceeds your rate of change, pain is certain.

An immediate and ongoing commitment to loosen up, stretch, and go with the flow will brighten your day-to-day life and ease potential pain. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to give it a try.


“People wish to be settled. Only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson