A crazy thing happened to me last week. For a split second or maybe more like two minutes, I forgot I had cancer. It wasn't too much of a big deal but I was at a meeting and I just forgot and felt normal. Here's what's even stranger, I work for a company that kinda deals with cancer so I'm surrounded by it all the time but again, for a minute, I forgot. It made me laugh a little when it came back to me but I've been stable for awhile so maybe this is pretty normal.
I was with a good friend when she asked if hearing others' cancer stories bothered me and no, absolutely not. I love hearing people's stories and it actually helps to hear what others' thought processes are so I know my thoughts are normal. I did however, tell her that sometimes what's harder for me is when others forget that I still have cancer. Now, this is tricky because I'm really high-functioning so lots of people don't know, and I also don't want pity or any special treatment. Cancer is ALWAYS on my mind whether I show it or not.
Retirement~will I be alive for that?
My back hurts~is my cancer spreading?
It's harder to breath today~humidity/allergies or is my cancer spreading?
Have dessert~is the sugar feeding my cancer?
I've lost a couple pounds~cancer?
Coronavirus~Yes, it's awful and seems to be an epidemic. All of the news outlets say that the elderly, the very young, and the compromised are the ones really at risk since it attacks the respiratory system. I have cancer in my lungs so while people are thinking about the virus~am I one of those 'high risk' people that would do poorly?
Cancer, cancer, cancer...you get the gist
Cancer is the backdrop of my thoughts and is the steady undercurrent in my daily life. It drives many of my decisions and can sometimes control my mood. I get quiet, I get sad, I get tired easily, and because I'm an introvert, it's easiest for me to withdraw. On the other hand, I am more observant, more joyful, and more grateful so it's almost extreme. It's a clash of intense joy and gratefulness along with sadness at the same time. I guess I'm asking for grace. Something I'm really working on is not judging other people's pain. Someone may be struggling with work, a cold, a headache, a family issue, etc. and in my head I want to say, 'but I have Stage 4 cancer.' Everyone's pain is their own and no one's is bigger than another. Comparison is a killer in all aspects of life.
I listened to a podcast today and Richard Rohr said that sometimes his joy can make him sad at the same time. He went on to explain that in moments when he is overcome with joy and contentment, he is sometimes told he carries a sad disposition. He explained further that he realized that he gets sad that people aren't experiencing the same joy and love of life; two intense emotions coexisting which he calls the 'bright sadness'. In his 'both/and' worldview, opposites don't contradict each other, they deepen one another. I'm sure I messed that up a bit but I get it and feel that as well; intense joy and gratitude coexisting with sadness. I get overwhelmed with living and being so grateful for everything and I just want to shake people and scream that life is amazing and that even in the mundane, you get to live. I get especially sad when it comes to my kids because of all the same things. All the little things they worry about, some of the choices they make, some of the entitlement they feel, or feelings of worthlessness while finding their passions and purpose, I want to shake them. More than that, I want to smother them with love, I want them to see the beauty of life and of people, I want them to know how amazing and worthy they are, and I also want to live until they're older so I can see them with their own families. Sigh.
I forgot I had cancer for a moment. It was beautiful.