Wow. I just wrote a very long and totally depressing post about cancer, prompted by the recent death of Roger Ebert. I walked away from it for several hours and then came back, read it over several times, edited it heavily, and finally decided it was best to delete the whole thing. Instead, I will share these Ebert-related items:
Fans admired his courage, but Ebert told The Associated Press that bravery had “little to do with it.” … “You play the cards you’re dealt,” Ebert wrote in an email in January 2011. “What’s your choice? I have no pain. I enjoy life, and why should I complain?”
I love that, rather than accepting credit for a courageous fight (which, of course, he has the right to do), he says anyone else would do the same thing under the same circumstances. And yet, there are people who would complain, spread their misery, and bum everybody out… which is part of the reason I deleted my original post.
Here’s the thing:
We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.
I am inspired to find new ways to contribute joy, even in the toughest times. That’s really all that I’m trying to say.
Bless you, dear girl. You're allowed to have grumpy eff-cancer moments; I'm sure Roger had his "shaking fist to the sky, cursing" moments, he was just savvy enough not to have them when the media was present... Or maybe he was a bundle of fortitude all the time. Who knows. But don't beat yourself up for feeling keenly the effects of a shitty disease on your life and the lives of those you care about.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I agree that looking for ways to contribute joy is a worthy goal for all of us.
Love you. xo