I ache, therefore I am

I like Descartes. Cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I am, always made sense to me. When I wake in the morning, my mind lets me know that the gods have granted me yet another day on the planet. Cool. In recent months, however, a variation of Descartes has entered my waking moments. Before my mind awakes, before I think, I am aware of something else. My left ankle hurts. My right knee hurts. These are my first sensations in the morning now. I ache, therefore I am.