My students are writing essays on what they carry - literally or metaphorically - based on their reading of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. As they were going around the circle sharing their ideas, I thought to myself, "Well, for sure if I was doing this assignment, I'd write about carrying my cancer."
That got me to thinking - is my cancer really as present as I assume it is? As I settle in to this new trial, I'm finding it taking more of a back seat to my life. The thing is, I feel so damn normal! (Except for those days when I sit around with a white bracelet on my wrist and an IV in my arm.) And, well, of course there's the fact that any time I feel an unusual twinge or pain, I'm convinced that this is the end. But that doesn't last long.
Most of the time, I'm just going along - just like you.
So maybe it's time to put my cancer down and make room for something I'd rather carry - like a pint of Ben & Jerry's, or an open heart.
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