32 - Don't Like Sad Stories

In my book club they often tease me because I kind of like the sad dramas and tragic stories. But now I'm getting picky.  When Don and I sat at the kitchen table working on a jigsaw puzzle, it seemed downright heavenly.  I clicked on The Moth Series, a Podcast program with talented storytellers.  We listened to 3 stories that started out delightfully light and ended with gut-wrenching shared memories.  One was about the torture of seeing a father die of cancer.  Another was similar, but about a mother. The third was about a child with Aids.  "Oh this is uplifting!" I remarked to Don.  He invited me to switch stories, but I was drawn in by the skilled storytellers.  It was sad, but it was okay to feel that.  And I could also feel thankful, because my situation was less dramatic than any of those stories.

Earlier we taped a favorite CBS News show, Sunday Morning.  We settled in to enjoy, then suddenly I was wincing at comedienne, Tig Notaro.  She greeted an audience with, "Hello! Good Evening! How is everybody? I have cancer!"  I rolled my eyes and griped, "I'm feeling a little bombarded here!"  But I wanted to watch.  And she made me laugh. She had breast cancer too and she was cutting through the awkwardness of that word and making us laugh along.  

I may have grown up in a time when the word cancer was almost whispered.  But I'm glad it's 2016 and we can talk and even laugh about cancer, now.