Chocolate chip cookie-induced empathy

I'm in pain. I bit the shit out of the corner of my lip a few days ago and the wound refuses to heal. This is a fairly embarassing injury, as it resulted from me getting way too excited about a warm, chocolate chip cookie. I had just gotten off work, and Brad and I stopped at a coffee shop to buy a bag for home. I spotted the delicious cookies in the display case and just had to purchase one. In my excitement at taking the first bite - you know, it had been a long day at work... I was happy that Brad was off... there was the anticipation of a nice night at home together... plus the very real joy of eating a cookie - I over-chomped. I bit right into my lip and tears came to my eyes.

Alright, fine, I thought. There goes the cookie ecstasy for the time being, but no biggie. Mouth sores heal quickly.

Five days later, this clumsiness wound is worse than ever. It's right at the spot where my teeth (which have always been a size too big for my mouth) scrape it constantly, so it never really gets the chance to recover.

This sounds so dumb, but it's shocking how much this one little injury is affecting my life. I can't smile right, I can't talk right. And worst of all, it's affecting what I eat! A moratorium on Indian and Latin food is in effect until this goes away. An addiction to Orajel is looming in the near future.

I am being such a baby about this. If you don't believe me, just ask Brad. In a search for something noble (or at least less whiny) in the situation, I've thought about one of my good friends who has a condition that leaves him in almost constant pain every single day. The fact that my whole life is affected by the pain from a tiny little puncture wound gives me just a teeny bit of insight into what his life is like. I feel like I understand him a little better.

So thanks, damn chocolate chip cookie that did this to me, for the nugget of empathy you've created.