Super Interesting (if nothing else)

Last night's 20/20 was about superhumans. They gave us a closer look at 6 people who have truly extraordinary abilities. One man seemed to fly with the help of a special suit that made him look like a giant flying squirrel. Another man was known as a spiderman for climbing tall buildings without safety equipment. I actually think I've seen both of these men on the news before. They also had a man they called brainman because he was able to learn at an amazing rate. For example, he memorized the first 22,000 numbers in pi, and learned the Icelandic language in a week. This man also suffered with Asperger's Syndrome and was considered a savant. Another man was a runningman, doing 50 marathons in 50 days. His endurance was remarkable as was his 3% body fat measurement. Another man was an iceman. He was able to control his body temperature with his mind to the point that he could sit covered in ice for more than an hour and swam in ice cold water. Two women were featured for being mermaids. Both had fins suits that encased their legs and allowed them to have the fluid movement that fish enjoy. They were able to hold their breath and swim for 5 minutes at a time by controlling their reflex to breathe.

The idea is super interesting (if nothing else). As the people were too.. And, except for brainman (who had an incredibly gifted mind that functions differently than most), they had all found a way to conquer their bodies with their minds. They had an innate and intense desire and drive to do what they were doing. They all seemed to have a certain unsoundness of mind that was only balanced out by pushing themselves to find the thin line between extreme adventure and deadly act. Perhaps they had a unique focus that allowed them to be in such control. Whatever it is that sets these people apart it got me fantasizing...

What if there were a power or some kind of gift element that came with chronic pain. I'm not saying we may have superpowers ourselves but what if there were some thing that could only come out of the unique experience of living with chronic pain - besides the super feat of living with chronic pain. I like to think it is possible because it would give a sense of purpose to this journey I'm on.

What do you ladies think? Do you see anything extraordinary emerging from your pain experiences? Do you feel more powerful in any way?