A year or so ago, I was suffering from plantar fasciitis in my feet. From my online research and studious YouTube viewing, I learned that the condition would likely resolve itself in time if I was patient, performed various stretching exercises, and wore supportive shoes (goodbye, stilettos). After months of hobbling out of bed or slowly taking steps from a chair, the pain began to lessen. I don’t really remember when it went away exactly, but today I am pain-free in my feet as long as I continue to stretch and wear appropriate shoes. I had heard of plantar fasciitis, but I couldn’t imagine the pain until I experienced it. I also didn’t appreciate being pain-free until I had had foot pain for months.

There’s the idea that suffering is what makes it possible for us to experience joy, much the same way that darkness allows us to notice light. It’s built into our experience of life. The saying “No mud, no lotus” from the late Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh takes this idea and points out that without mud, the beautiful lotus water flowers could not grow. Similarly, our experiences with suffering make those moments of joy and being pain-free all the sweeter. Since we know and experience this as part of life, we don’t have to fear suffering. It won’t last. And it may even create conditions for something better and more beautiful in us.