A little more than two years ago, I began writing my master's thesis, which is linked below. Although it
was only 25 months ago that I started writing it, I began the literature review well in advance of it, and I
have had many years experience as a person who deals with chronic pain on a daily basis. I'm
fortunate in that my pain is manageable almost all the time with minimal medication, but I know many
people are not that fortunate, and I have had tremendous examples in my mother and maternal
grandmother on how to deal with adversity with grace and humor (and the occasional well-deserved
hissy). I also had the contrasting example of my paternal grandmother who was not resilient and did
not cope well. I steer between those co-rudders each and everyday, hoping, if I can't quite swing the
grace, that I have the humor down in spades, and at least steer towards the middle position.