"When it's all stripped away...who am I?" said a lady participant in a TV show that puts people in extreme situations. When I heard this I thought, "Good question lady." I wish I had heard the rest of her comments. I could introduce her to some folk who are frequently confronted with this question. The lady's voice made me think perhaps she isn't at all sure who she really is.

Chronic pain and illness strip away the imagined value of image, pretense, independence and material possessions great and small. In dealing with chronic circumstances, some things are just not as important as they used to be. Walking through a shopping centre without help, stepping off a kerb, simply crossing the street and coming away unscathed mean much more to me now than they used to. Funny, isn't it, how situations I didn't give a second thought to are now crucial to living through one more day. I think about my long-term future as well as the few months ahead-what I might need to live safely with minimum stress on my family. I wish I was better at this. I still think a half day at a time is best for me right now...because it has to be. This is who I am these days.