Pain is Like a Borsch

Do you know borsch?

The beetroot, cabbage and tomato soup from Ukraine and Russia?

It was one of the staple foods when I was a child, and if there is one thing I know about the borsch, this is it:

• The ingredients are usually simple and similar (beets, cabbage, tomato paste, carrots, onions, some kind of stock). But can be a bit different (for example, the variety of beets we had in South Russia where I grew up was not easily available in other parts of the country).

• The recipe is in principle the same. But every family will have some slight (or not so) variation to their taste.

We had it with a piece of dark rye bread and a clove of garlic, and my mum always kept potatoes whole. Never and nowhere could I have the same borsch as my mum made! When I cook it using the very same recipe she taught me when I was 14, it will never be the same. Because every person is unique, even when we use the same basic ingredients and same recipe.

PAIN IS LIKE A BORSCH: REAL, COMPLEX AND VERY PERSONAL.

I can explain to you how pain works (basic recipe), but you are the only person who will be able to know exactly what the ingredients, process and condiments are. You are the only person who will be able to observe the components of “danger” and “safety” that set your alarm ( = pain) system up. You are the person who will be able to consciously add more “safety” ingredients into your day to make the alarm less sensitive.

There is no Jamie or Nadia to untangle your pain knot, sorry. The only thing you need to know is how the borsh (pain) is made.