In times of excruciating pain, here’s one thing I never worry about: someday suffering from unbearable pain. No matter how extreme my current distress, if I’m still conscious, I’m bearing it.
When the time comes, death will still all pain and suffering. This belief strengthens my desire to survive by:
Eliminating fear of unbearable pain, which relieves some emotional distress.
Bolstering my confidence and fortitude (my still-beating heart proves I can survive this).
But how? And how can I not just survive, but thrive? Here’s where the power of “still” come in. “Still” is a contronym, a word with opposite meanings in different contexts. For example, “left” means “to depart” (“She left early”) and “to remain” (“Only one apple is left”).
When facing loss,
I Use “still”
to focus on what is left.
Krista Parsons, RN, used her personal experience with tragic losses to lay a foundation for a movement called AND STILL… There Is More. Parsons wants people to benefit from the power of “still” by joining a community designed to use connection and inspiration to help others.
From her website:
Life will change us. It will challenge us. It will ask us to let go of identities, plans, roles, and versions of ourselves we once believed would last forever.
And still...
We keep going.
We keep healing.
We keep growing.
We keep becoming.
…No matter what chapter you are living through today, your story is not over.
And still...
You are here.
You are becoming.
My experience as a long-term survivor led me to this affirmation:
