Pain

Something happened to me yesterday that has not happened in a long time. I was reaching up to harvest a fresh and very ripe fig from the tree next to the greenhouse, when a sharp pain shot through my hand. I had bee stung by a wasp, who i can only imagine was irked with me for stealing his lunch. The pain grew and coursed through my palm, and could i remember the best treatment? Is it vinegar or baking soda? I couldn't remember whether the wasp sting is acidic or alkaline and so i opted for vinegar. It didn't make it any worse, nor do i think it made it any better.

I know that for some people that such stings are life threatening, and I once had a friend who carried an epipen, as she was so subject to anaphylactic responses to such things. People have died from single stings, and so really in the whole scheme of things, my own discomfort was trivial.

It reminded me of other occasions when i have been stung, and to be frank they are few and far between. I can only recall two other events, though there may have been more. The first time i remember being stung, i must have been about 17 yrs old. I was fishing on a river bank and keeping very still and very quiet, concentrating on the fish or lack of them. A wasp managed to get into my mouth when i wasn't looking, and promptly stung me inside my lip. That hurt! My lips swelled and the pain was like no other. The wasp escaped unhurt and lived to sting someone else. My fishing day was over, as i stumbled home feeling sorry for myself.

I still feel the remnants of yesterday and there is a small red spot where the assault took place, and as before the individual responsible has escaped to fight another day. I picked some more figs this morning, but this time took a lot more care about where i put my hand. Pain is a great tutor!