Gonna get a little personal with ya:
I wanted to share a perspective shift and explain why I’m now grateful for the wart on my knee. Wait, What?! Sounds pretty gross, right? So, here’s the deal, I’ve had a wart on my knee for probably the last 20+ years. I’ve done everything to try and get rid of it, duct tape, salicylic acid films, over-the-counter freezing options, liquid nitrogen at the Dr, you name it. Let me give you a little background about warts so you can appreciate my newfound gratitude.
Common warts are caused by a virus called HPV, the human papillomavirus. This virus causes extra skin to grow and can be highly contagious. Typically the immune system will attack viruses through what’s known as a Th1 response. This goes after threats inside the cell (like a virus). The body also has a Th2 response, which goes after threats outside the cell (eg. bacteria, fungus, etc). Stress can impact our immune system in a couple of ways; 1. It releases a surge in cortisol, which is anti-inflammatory (remember, inflammation is not bad, per se, too much inflammation or inflammation that lasts too long is a problem), and 2. Chronic stress impairs the Th1 response in favor of a Th2 (ie: not as good at fighting a virus). If you want to nerd out further, here’s a good article on it.
Ok, enough of the immune system primer, here’s why I now consider the wart on my knee a gift. I noticed mid-way through the pandemic, after some of the initial chaos and worrying start settling down, that my knee looked completely normal. I had been focusing on boosting immune system nutrients such as Fish oil, Vitamin D, Zinc, Quercetin and vitamin C. I also had started a meditation practice, focused on getting quality sleep, and incorporated mindful breathing techniques at work. I finally figured it out: My Immune system was doing its job and suppressing the virus on its own!
Every once in a while, I notice the wart starting to trigger extra skin growth and come out to play. When this happens, I now do a better job prioritizing my self-care, willingly say ‘no’ to extra work opportunities, and focusing on being in a parasympathetic nervous system mode (where healing, resting, procreating, and digesting happen).
Perspective Shift: 
I feel like this may be a good place to remind us that Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it! The fact that I have a wart on my knee is a fact (it’s annoying, yes, but it’s there); I don’t have to be frustrated by it, I can instead use it as a built-in barometer to remind me how I’m doing with my self-care.
The next time you’re in the dumps, or having a rough time; instead of focusing on ‘Why is this happening to me?”, try asking “Why is this happening for me”? A subtle shift, but a powerful one. Let me know what unsuspecting thing you are grateful for!
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