A woman dressed in an evening gown is sitting at a bar,
sipping a cocktail and kittenishly looking at the representative figure of
death in its black robe and with its sickle leaning against the back of his
chair. “Are you flirting with me?” he
says tenuously…
I’ve always had a slightly dark sense of humor and can and
do laugh at what some would consider the more serious aspects of life. I have laughed my way through life, job loss,
major mishaps and the ugly part of aging, so it is no real surprise that I have
a sense of humor about living with cancer.
I can’t help myself – there are just some funny things associated with my
cancer and when I come across them or experience them, I have to laugh.
Sadly, I am often laughing alone.
Not everyone will think the scene at the beginning of this
blog is funny. Some will not believe
that any aspects of the cancer experience can be taken lightly. There is a definitive line between humor and
insensitivity, to be sure, and I hope not to cross it in any way that truly
offends another or diminishes their deeply held beliefs in any way. I am (mostly) careful not to make fun of
cancer in a general sense nor around anyone else who may be stricken. I do not find humor in how anyone other than
me deals with it or in how it deals with people other than me.
But still, there are parts of having cancer that do indeed
create awkwardly funny moments.
In talking with my best friend and sister just yesterday we
got on the topic of dieting and healthy lifestyles. With summer upon us everyone wants to shed
some weight and create a better body image.
They talked a little about long term plans (it takes time to lose
weight) and where they wanted to be on the scale for future events.
I wanted to say
something like, “Unfortunately, I may have to wait until after my cremation to
achieve a smokin’ hot body!” (not an
original pun by the way, I’m sure I read it somewhere) but I could not share
it. Though it made me chuckle just to
think of it, I did not think my sister nor my friend would find that funny at
all. So I kept it to myself and we missed a moment we might otherwise be able to look back upon and smile.
Humor is a self-defense mechanism, no doubt – and making fun
of my cancer and its possible outcomes is just another tool in my “deal with it”
toolbox. It is good for me/necessary for
me to have a sense of humor about myself and my situation.
Humor has medicinal benefits as well. It relieves some of the stress of my
diagnosis and can make my otherwise intolerable situation tolerable. When laughing, I increases air intake, and
for someone so frequently short of breath, a good deep inhale is akin to deep
massage. Laughing releases endorphins
which may help reduce my pain and will ultimately lift my mood, providing a more
positive base from which to deal with things.
When I laugh, I feel good. When
I can laugh at myself and my situation, I feel more in control.
Humor can bring us together, minimize the stress, create
shared moments and good memories. It can
help ease pain and even lower blood
pressure. It can and will make my days
brighter and my diagnosis easier to bear.
So, I’m going to keep on crackin' jokes and laughing and I encourage you to
laugh along with me. Heck, crack a few
jokes of your own…I promise to keep my sense of humor alive and well.
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you would like to share your own thoughts and experiences or if you would simply like to comment, please feel free.