Might as Well Laugh as Cry

Life continues to present unexpected catch-my-breath moments - like the view along the Laurel St overpass in Vancouver and the fall colours that underscored the beauty of the seawall walk that I took from my oncologist's office to the studio last Tuesday after receiving my diagnosis. Fall is my favourite season, and what my eyes beheld on that walk was a treat worth living for. This realization, as I walked along, seemed to confirm my assertion that there is wonder and joy in every minute of life if we only take the time to see it, even if we think things couldn't get darker.

Increasingly, I'm also seeing humour in the most particular things. It's almost as if someone tosses a coin and my brain chooses to interpret a given situation as pure fact or as another example of an odd/bizarre/funny incident. No doubt the latter is a coping mechanism and a very palatable one at that, at least for me.

The opening lines of that old Indigo Girl's chestnut "The Closer I am to Fine" go like this:
I'm trying to tell you something about my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
The best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously, it's only life after all

And it is only life, after all. We're here for a bit, and then we move on. That's life. That's reality. I get that.

Here's a wee something for all of you who have long wondered about my general mental state. Seems I'm not the only one to use humour to get through the tough times, and see the funny side when others see only tragedy and despair.

Below is a link to a podcast about four months in the life of comedian Tig Notaro. It aired on Public Radio International (PRI), the US version of our beloved CBC radio. Everything Tig talks about actually happened. I can more than identify with the tales of other people's responses to her situation, as well as the inappropriateness of many aspects of hospital bureacracy and stupid questions from some staff members. (That said, I have few complaints about my overall health care experience, other than what is passed off as food in medical institutions.)

Both the Prologue and Act One of the link below focus on Tig and her story, but only for the first bit of each.

I hope at least some of you find some of the humour I did in what Tig had to say and, perhaps, gain a bit more insight into what it's like to be on this side of the "terminal illness fence".

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/476/what-doesnt-kill-you