were not far from

I can feel my body breaking down in two places. Hobbling along as if years older, and meditating constantly on pain, I was reminded of a time when pain was not a surprise to me. I suppose you can measure your level of happiness by the amount of system shock you undergo when pain or sorrow descends upon you. Those in shadows barely flinch at the presence of additional misery. Those in happy times have a hard time reconciling these new and decidedly unhappy twinges of emotion. It was a good reminder of how far I have been brought, though looking back to see where I came from, that distance shimmered in waves of gloom, sympathy twinges pulsated in return.