Tag Archives: Wendy Welch

The Problem of Pain–

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Jack gets in just over the line again – –

The title of this post is also the title of a book by CS Lewis based on a lecture he presented. In both he tried to explain why a nurturing God would allow people to experience sometimes terrible pain. He likened it to a sculptor chiseling at a piece of stone to eventually reveal the perfect person inside. The pain is the chiseling, and it has to be endured before you can emerge from inside.

I know some people who have chronic pain and who might question that analogy!

However, I am an admirer of Lewis, and this post is on a simpler level. I have often said that you can’t enjoy the lack of pain until you have first experienced it. I’ve been mostly lucky with my health over the years, so my brushes with pain have tended to be fairly short lived, but when it goes away, there is an almost indescribable feeling of relief – almost euphoria.

A recent example –

A couple or so months ago I bought a new pair of shoes and immediately felt as if they were pinching one of my toes. So I swapped back to the old pair, but that didn’t help. I even went to a pair of soft slippers but still felt the same pain with them. So I made an appointment with the local podiatrist. This very nice guy had a close look and found that I had an ingrown toenail that had caused a callous to develop. Half an hour later I walked out to my car with no pain at all.

There’s another side to all this, which is, of course the opioid crisis sweeping America. Originating in the overprescribing of painkillers and then spreading to wider communities experiencing both physical and emotional pain. But that’s Wendy’s area of expertise and research – –

I certainly don’t mean to denigrate Lewis or any others who have tried to theorize about this subject. I’m not particularly religious, although I am a believer in He She or It. But I struggle to understand how a truly nurturing Deity would not intervene to prevent the worst pain. Something worse than an ingrown toenail, I mean.

Maybe opioids are the answer, and we as humans have screwed that up, too.

Come back next Wednesday for more from Jack

Telling Stories With Sound

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Writer Wendy’s weekly installment

So most of you know I have this side gig as a Folkways Reporter for Inside Appalachia. It’s fun, albeit with a steep learning curve, figuring out how to tell stories with disembodied sound instead of standing in front of an audience watching their faces.

I’ve had great teachers, though. It’s always a leg up when someone answers a newbie question with “here’s the goal” rather than specifics responding to your exact question. Define the goal and let people reach it based on their ideas: that’s an excellent teaching technique.

And I had some good news recently. The first story I ever did was on mushroom hunting for beginners, a thing that has interested me ever since I acquired some woodland property that proliferates with the little fungi. (And some the size of dinner plates.)

I always liked reporting (I was one fresh out of college) because you’re constantly learning things by listening to other people. It’s fascinating. So the mushroom story was fun in and of itself. But last week I got a message from the producer. It’s up for an award.

My first story??!! My head isn’t gonna fit through doorways.

The Virginias (as in Commonwealth of and West) AP Broadcasters Award has a category of “Light Feature.” I’m up for it – along with a delightful fellow reporter named Rebecca Williams, whom I met at last year’s retreat for reporters. We had a lot of fun bonding, and now we have agreed that whoever comes in first buys the second-placer a margarita. (The event is held at the Greenbriar. They make awesome margaritas.)

I’m excited; I feel validated. I’m plotting more stories to tell with sound. And I’m looking forward to the next story up, about the secret powers of a unicorn mug. Here are a couple of preview photos.

That story starts airing March 24, but local times will vary.

And if you want to hear the mushroom story, here’s the link. https://wvpublic.org/appalachian-mushroom-experts-welcome-sprouting-newbies/

Come back next Friday for more from Wendy Welch