Merry Christmas! I know the day is past and the New Year draws closer - and I already made resolutions - but I wanted to recap a little of my Christmas cheer and lessons.

On the 23rd, we had to take our cats into the Vets to get some antibiotics to help our older cat heal. I felt so bad for her - but she took it like a trooper and seems in good spirits since. On the 24th, I compressed a nerve in my shoulder. I got through dinner (which was deliciously prepared by my wife) but my mood was not the most festive. We opened some gifts with my in-laws, who are terrific people. Lots of pain.

Flash forward, 12 in the morning. I can't even lay down. I pace for more than 2 hours with the unbelievable pain in my shoulder and side. Finally, my wife wakes me up and reminds me that we have some prescription-quality pain killers in the basement from when I was hurting after the marathon. I drifted off to painful sleep, awoke in enough pain to cancel Christmas breakfast with my brother and then took more painkillers. It still hurts pretty bad.

Despite all of that, it was one of the best Christmases ever.

Why? Was it because of the Anakin action figure my wife got me, or the Darth Vader snow-globe? Was it because of the way my wife puts thought and care into every gift she gets, and each one shows how much she listens to me through the year? Nope.

The pain focused me on the need to appreciate every detail about the holidays. We should be thankful for our trials and our obstacles - because they are a reminder that without suffering, none of our happiness is possible.

Or, to relate it to the movies we all love: Anakin is so focused on his own troubles that he acts selfishly. So long as his desires are satisfied, and his own pain lessened, so what about consequences?

In short, don't let the pain block out others. There is suffering all the time. Your pain does not give you the right to withdraw or to demand anything. Think of others, put your pain in perspective and learn to appreciate the fact that you are alive.