I try to make a point of not taking life too seriously - there seems to be more than enough of that going on already. In the joke of life: cancer is my new punchline / and laughter is my medicine.
It seemed from the beginning of my journey (diagnosis), that I had three choices:
Crying - though often legit, basically not helpful
Denial - effective for temporary avoidance, but ultimately dangerous for the heart, mind and body
Laughter – "They" say that jocularity can have therapeutic powers
I mean no disrespect or irreverence toward the many people who are suffering unbearably with the ravages and emotional tribulations of dealing with cancer. And to keep this all in perspective, the cancer that I have is nowhere near as overwhelming or debilitating as many others. For this I feel very lucky.
I pride myself on having a general outlook on life that seeks to find the humor, levity or distraction in those horrible things that inevitably happen to us: young or old, rich or poor, healthy or not. My history is well documented and I’ve dealt with my share of life challenges (no more or less than anyone else). But if asked the question, “Isn’t anything out-of-bounds from the laugh-it-off approach?” “Can’t you be serious about anything?!?!” - what would be my reply?
I think I do take it all very seriously, but in an effort to maintain a perspective on the totality of a lifetime: I seek to address the moment, change what I can to try and avoid it from happening again, and then find a ray of light (humor?) to help salve the wound – begin the healing as it were.
I sincerely apologize if I have previously offended or upset anyone with my mirthful approach, but I have been applying this theory for over 60 years, and have really put it to the test lately with my own cancer treatment. It’s a critical part of MY regimen, and for me (but not necessarily for everyone), it works.
Three penguins walk into a bar . . .
