“If only?” One says that even when the loss was expected, predicted, given a number. It’s the outcry of powerlessness. After my first session with my grief counselor, she wisely said “We can’t defeat nature!” At the end of my enormously helpful series of sessions, I heard myself say “if only”. But they made it possible to find my way back to life and joy—some of the time.
Thank you. Next month I am going to Australia to give an opening address to a conference of oncology social workers. The title is “Cancer is not a ‘journey’: In search of a better metaphor”. I am choosing integrity over despair whenever I can. It’s better way.
I thought about this last line of yours: I like it. It’s true. Choosing is a power easily forgotten - and we don’t always have the energy to make a considered one.
Agree with “cancer as journey” idea. It’s more like a personal hell to which beloved others, equally unprepared, are invited.
“If only?” One says that even when the loss was expected, predicted, given a number. It’s the outcry of powerlessness. After my first session with my grief counselor, she wisely said “We can’t defeat nature!” At the end of my enormously helpful series of sessions, I heard myself say “if only”. But they made it possible to find my way back to life and joy—some of the time.
I feel exactly the same. Being creative, supporting others…helps too. I wish you all the happiness your heart can hold.
Thank you. Next month I am going to Australia to give an opening address to a conference of oncology social workers. The title is “Cancer is not a ‘journey’: In search of a better metaphor”. I am choosing integrity over despair whenever I can. It’s better way.
I thought about this last line of yours: I like it. It’s true. Choosing is a power easily forgotten - and we don’t always have the energy to make a considered one.
Agree with “cancer as journey” idea. It’s more like a personal hell to which beloved others, equally unprepared, are invited.
Cancer was an “uninvited guest who stayed too long and kept returning” for 30 years.
The “journey” metaphor romanticizes it like TB was in the 19th century. There’s nothing at all romantic about either.