I don't really look for a silver lining in having ME/CFS (although I may have accidentally stumbled across one or two). The reality is that I am sick. Even though I may do all that I can to get well, right now I am ill with a disabling illness which doesn't allow me to do most of the things that used to bring me pleasure. I can be miserable about that, or I can look for new things to give me pleasure. I can be sick and angry and miserable, or I can be sick and enjoy life. Either way, I'm sick. It's not what I would choose, but it's what I've got. This illness has taken so much from me (I won't list all the things, it's pretty much the same list for all of us), why would I want to give it any more of my life? Most of it is beyond my control, and I don't have a choice about it. But I can choose my attitude. I can choose not to let it destroy my spirit or my enjoyment of life.
Pain. Pain is a part of life. There are all kinds of pain and everyone has some pain in their life, some more than others. There really isn't a lot of point in comparing one person's pain to another's. I've known people whose lives have been filled with misfortunes that would crush most people, who managed to live life with a grace and equinimity that awed me. The Buddhist philosophy is that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. I had a lot of trouble with that idea. It comes from the concept that suffering comes from dissatisfaction, from wanting things to be different from what they are. If you give up wanting things to be different, you no longer suffer, even though the pain is still there. But how can you NOT want things to be different, when faced with pain and evil? I don't pretend to really understand it, and I'm not a Buddhist. But I think it comes from a kind of ninja warrior acceptance. That it, a spiritually disciplined level of acceptance of reality in the present moment. You can still work to change things in the future, but right now, in this moment, you let go and say "what is, is." And when you quit denying and fighting against reality, it frees up a lot of energy. Like I said, I have a lot of trouble with the concept. But one thing I do get: pain is part of life, and I love life fiercely. If pain is part of the human condition, then I will embrace it as part of the whole package. For me, it's part of being fully human. I'm not going to say, "I love life, but only the good parts." For one thing, I don't think I'm wise enough to judge what the "good parts" are; some things in my life that seemed pretty awful at the time have led to things I treasure. For all I know, maybe the painful parts are the good parts BECAUSE they make us more fully human. I'm not wise enough to sort it out, so I'm just going to embrace the whole thing and enjoy the hell out of it, squeeze the most out of it I can.