"What gift?" he cries. But his desperate query is met only with the all knowing smiles of those around him. A redirect of "No, seriously what is my gift?" produces no further response. A final, "How am I supposed to not neglect it, if I don't know what it is?" yields nothing as the rite of passage begins.
So goes my story from some 43 years ago. When the mystical command from First Timothy 4:14 was inscribed in my bible on the day of my confirmation into the Lutheran Church. Back then my attention span was, well, that of a twelve year old. Thoughts of food, music, TV, movies, sports, cars and, suddenly, even girls quickly supplanted this call to pursue my true calling.
A few years later I was packing for college. I spied that bible on my sparsely populated book shelf. "What was that verse again?" I found the inscription and read the passage anew, still nothin'. Pastor L, the minister who stuck me with the words, had left our church and our area. So I couldn't very well ask him about it now. Ah well, it would keep. I placed the book back on the shelf and left for school. I would have plenty of new books to study. Besides I had thoughts of food, music, girls, sports, studying, living on my own and, suddenly, young women to occupy my brain.
Some thirty-five years later, I was unpacking our household as we moved into our new home and there in my hand was that bible. Oh ya, First Timothy and the gift again. This time I set out to find Pastor L. If I had been neglecting this gift for 40 years, I was going to be in big trouble with those prophetic elders. I had to find him. Google and People Finder generated a full name, a physical address and, more importantly, an email address. "Dear Pastor L. NOW will you tell me what my gift is?" A few days went by and the reply came. "You probably want my dad I wasn't even born in 1966. He's in the process of moving. I will forward your information to him as soon as he gets settled." Thoughts of food, a new job, a new house, movies, sports and grand children quickly supplanted my desire to fulfill my destiny.
About 18 months ago, at the age of 54, I determined that while the software industry had been very, very good to me it was time for me to think about a different career. As I entered my second adulthood, I identified five new career paths to investigate. My research and related activities lead me to write a 92,000 word novel about a utopian community built on the premise of, what else, not neglecting our gifts. Then, hand to God, the hand of God delivered two things to me on February 15th, 2008. The first was ten "proof" copies of my paperback book. The second, an email from Pastor L asking, among other things, when he was going to see my name associated with a book or a movie or a television show.
Be Happy Dont Worry
Osteoarthritis is a recurring disease caused by the deterioration of joint cartilages. It is actually the most common form of arthritis. The deterioration is mainly due to the years of wear and tear of the joints where the body's ability to form new bone margins between bone connections and cartilages have significantly decreased. Osteoarthritis is common in the phalanges and other joints found in the knees and hips.
As a common joint disease, osteoarthritis is widespread for both males and females. Typically, this disease starts to appear at the age of 40 and may get worse as one gets older. In a number of cases, osteoarthritis can cause serious handicap to people as it can decrease the dexterity of the fingers or toes and the mobility of hips, knees and elbows; in fact, osteoarthritis is second only to heart ailments when it comes to work-related disabilities.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis include deep pain in the joints especially after heavy exercise or excessive movement. However, the pain can subside after ample rest. If you suffer from osteoarthritis, you may also experience stiffness in the joints during the morning and after doing heavy exercise. And hearing or feeling that your joints are grating as you move can be considered normal if you have osteoarthritis.
The bad news about osteoarthritis is that it could be permanent as there is no known cure for it. However, there are many ways to relieve its symptoms. Medical attention pertaining to this disease is focused on soothing the pain that accompanies it. As of the moment, the most effective approach to relieving the osteoarthritis pain is to take oral pain pills. Some topical creams are also used to help alleviate pain.
Then, if ordinary analgesic and topical creams are not enough, anti-inflammatory drugs without steroidal derivatives can also be used. For extreme cases, injections with non-sulfated form of polysaccharides, a type of complex carbohydrates, can help in lubricating connective tissues like your aging joints. A process called visco-supplementation together with other surgical treatments, have increasingly become popular especially for osteoarthritis in the knees. But remember, all these measures just deal with the pain and in no way can these cures improve the principal disease which is osteoarthritis.
Instead of totally depending on synthetic medication, osteoarthritis sufferers must also aim to lose weight and do regular exercises. Weight can be a major factor in the overall wear and tear of joints, while adequate exercise can improve the strength of most connective tissues. As for your exercise, you can also add yoga movements. The twists and turns that are characteristic of yoga are proven to build flexibility and strength to connective tissues, plus they can also put a stop to stiffness in your muscles and joints.
Other pain solutions include alternative approaches. Foremost among the alternative means of relieving osteoarthritis pain is acupuncture. In acupuncture, small needles are inserted into certain points of the body. When these points are stimulated, the flow of energy in the body becomes more efficient, thereby releasing substances like serotonin and endorphins which can soothe osteoarthritis pain among other things.
Finally, don't forget traditional hot and cold compress. Rotating hot pads and ice packs on your aching joints can also provide some remedy for osteoarthritis pain. This is similar to the way athletes take care of their injuries sustained in a match or training session. Although the effects can be short-lived, hot and cold compress sure beats grinding your teeth in pain.
If you are suffering from osteoarthritis, you should consult with your doctor.
Both B.l. Lindstrom & Sharon Bell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
B.l. Lindstrom has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Destinations and Writing. B.L. Lindstrom is a highly paid and sought after systems janitor and author in multiple media. His latest communications can always be found on his Blog Authorian Adventures in the Ether,. B.l. Lindstrom's top article generates over 201000 views. Bookmark B.l. Lindstrom to your Favourites.
