Sparks

College has been a truly beautiful experience for me so far.  Being a junior now (how time flies!), I’ve spent the last 2 and a half years growing and being inspired.  The latter is what has led me to believe that I have chosen a path that will lead me to a joyful life; the courses that I have taken while being part of the Physician Assistant program here at Saint Francis University have inspired me time and again to think beyond the obvious and commonplace.

Last year, my Anatomy & Physiology courses served as my muse.  The human body is full of quirks and the seemingly miraculous that, to me, serve as endless possibilities for writing, pondering, and even simple amazement.  I feel the need to write about these things simply because when I learn about them, I am simply overwhelmed and humbled at the complexity and elegant design of natural things we tend to take for granted.  Being that this blog began as nothing more than a way to express my personal thoughts, feelings, and musings, I am astounded at the massive popularity of one of my previous posts, “The Unequivocally Critical Clavicle,” which you can read at this link:

https://birdyblogger.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/the-unequivocally-critical-clavicle/

This “Aha!” moment was just one of many that I would experience throughout the rest of my sophomore year, school-related and otherwise.  Another of these moments that I would like to discuss is the body’s reaction to pain.

Pain and suffering, just like love and joy, are aspects of the human journey that every single one of us experiences.  Pain takes many forms throughout our lives, from the prick of a splinter in a finger to the devastation felt due to heartbreak.

Physical pain, such as the finger prick mentioned before, is the result of some stimulus (the splinter) triggering microscopic neurons to generate sparks of action potentials, which are the rapid rise and fall of the electrical potential between the outside and inside of a cell.  These action potentials travel along the peripheral nervous system until they reach the spinal cord, which then transports the signals to the brainstem.  It is here that the signals are registered as pain.  This entire process occurs at lightning speed, and is something that most of us probably take for granted.

Electrical activity of neurons.

Our need for the sensation of pain is made extremely apparent in medical cases where individuals have lost this sensation.  One example is diabetic neuropathy, which is a long-term complication of both type-I and type-II diabetes involving the loss of sensation in extremities, most often occurring in the feet.  People who suffer from diabetic neuropathy cannot feel if they have injured themselves in the affected area.  If the injury, such as a cut on the sole of the foot, goes unnoticed, there can be severe consequences including bacterial infection, sepsis (the body’s reaction to widespread presence of pathogens in the blood and tissues) and septic shock, and even amputation of the affected limb.  Those affected with diabetic neuropathy must take special care to protect their feet and check them often for cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

In this context, it is easy to see that pain has beneficial qualities; however, when we suffer things like heartbreak or loss it is more difficult to see how pain can be a good thing.  The purpose of physical pain is to trigger an instinctual reaction in the body that forces it away from a damaging stimulus.  In much the same way, heartbreak and suffering drive us away from the things in life that damage us, and in turn, drives us toward the beautiful aspects of life that foster our growth.  These tragedies of life nudge us closer and closer to the innate goodness of the world, even if it takes us months, years, decades to realize it.

I’m thankful for all I have endured and suffered through, for these things have brought me closer to my bliss.  I know there are hardships and difficult times along with happiness on the horizon, but these provide opportunities for growth and the little sparks of momentum that constantly drive us away from harm and toward nourishment.

The beauty of life is in the journey, the peaks and valleys just carry us along.