One year ago today I came out of anesthesia to hear my husband saying the surgeons had found cancer. Must be hallucinating, I thought. Cancer was not on the agenda.
A year later I'm thinking about how much has changed since cancer entered the agenda, how much I've learned from this encounter with the unexpected. One thing I've learned is that the "lessons I've learned from cancer" is a required chapter in the Cancer Story genre and that those "lessons" often take the form of timeworn cliches: It's not the destination but the journey that matters most. Take it one day at a time. Simple pleasures are the best. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Knowledge is power, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing--and besides, ignorance is bliss. Etc.
Cliches are easy. Truth is complicated.
Over the next few days I'll share some of the complicated truths I've learned from cancer. I wish I could have learned them in a less painful way, but I'll pass them on as painlessly as possible.
Coming up tomorrow: why there's no algorithm for friendship.
3 comments:
The narratives we use for cancer and cancer survival seem so very limited. And, yes, cliched.
What about teddy bears - will you be writing about cancer and teddy bears?
Should we consider these next few blogs then a preview of the book?
No bears. You want bears, go to the zoo. You want books, go to the library. Maybe I'll see you there.
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