Part 4 Choose Your Healing Attitude

Other Important Stuff

Never underestimate the power of laughter. When I told the first few friends I had cancer they touched my arm, looked into my eyes sadly with concern and asked if there was anything they could do. My instinctive response was to jerk my arm away and say “Well you can lighten up!” but I maintained my calm and I would reply to them, “Make me laugh”. I’m single and had no one to spend time with at home other than my elderly mother—and I was her caretaker. So I had a movie date with a friend every other Friday during my “up” week. We talked and laughed a lot. I watched funny movies whenever possible, Nickelodeon and the Disney channel. My first ex-husband started calling me every couple of weeks when he found out from our oldest son that I had cancer. On one occasion he had been drinking. After asking me how I was, he launched into a comprehensive report about his disability: he had a new walker and was glad it had brakes and a seat, and among his other physical ailments and conditions, details about his hemorrhoids. I told my friend about the conversation we laughed about it for twenty minutes.

My daughter would tell me every funny thing her two boys said or did, and there were lots of them (they were 2 year and 4-year-old Sagittarians). I’m really attached to my grandchildren and they are an integral part of my life. My son’s four-year-old daughter seemed to be tuned in and without having talked to me she seemed to know when I was not doing well. She’s a Pisces. If you have an interest in Astrology and know that means it will make sense to you. If not forget it.

Summary

Okay, I’ve covered stinky sweat, shaving my head without needing to, toilet paper lint balls, orange pee, electric crotch, and getting fatter. In addition, if you want to consider it funny, I had all kinds of people I hadn’t talked to in five years or more calling and asking what they could do for me. This is your chance—a two-fold opportunity; first if you haven’t talked to them in five years for any particular reason it is best to resolve the past it or let it go. Second, ask them to clean your house during your down week or make you soup or meatloaf so you have something in the fridge without having to cook it yourself. Then see who follows through.

What else could be funny? Well, I wasn’t so amused at the gas station when the guy called me “Sir”. So make sure you wear some make-up and earrings and dress like a girl, at least in public. Then they’ll just think you’re a Sinead O’Connor or Brittany wanna-be. I had a wig I wore for working or meetings. I always wore a straw hat (no wig) when going to the doctor, the store or to friends--more for them than for me. I ran around bald at home! I had one friend who really liked my "no-do” and thought I looked like a Tibetan monk. My four-year-old granddaughter however was another story. She couldn't bring herself to look at me with no hair. My two-year-old grandson on the other hand thought it was great we had the same buzzed haircut.

It’s really a unique experience to run into another older woman with conspicuously short hair and your eyes meet, and there is a knowing or recognition, and you smile at each other like two members of a secret sisterhood. Then again who knows, maybe she was a lesbian and thought you were too. Lighten up! If you can't laugh you are in trouble.

I had a few laughs about radiation too. The best laugh was when I decided halfway through I wasn’t going to finish that either. The doctor called and promised if I took just five more sessions (instead of 13) he would consider he had done the best he could for me—considering my level of cooperation I guess. Anyway (here's the funny part), when I went back he was telling me of another woman who had decided to stop her treatment but for other reasons. I about fell off the table when in his heavily Indian accented English he said concerning that woman, “I thought to myself, 'oh no! Its dat Linda, she’s spreading dis around!'” It’s great when the doctor is being funny.

Addendum:

Just to keep the record straight, I believe that I manifested cancer in life because I had not resolved my past emotional hurts and resentments, my feeling of not being able to remedy the injustices done to me or to others. I had to work through it, let the crap go. Therefore in taking responsibility I actually empowered myself to manifest my own healing. It’s this way--If I created it I can destroy it. It isn’t about my ego; it’s about truth. Cancer is a tough teacher, but if you learn the lesson, you get to graduate. If not you fail. If you don’t know you have the power how can you use it? I’m writing this so you know there is a choice.

Last thing: I think it is quite sad that most people treat their bodies like they were cars. Meaning people take their automobiles to mechanics and just expect them to be repaired. They don’t have anything to do with the process—the mechanic knows what to do and does it and you have a tune-up or a new transmission or whatever. NEWS FLASH Your body is not a car. Don’t expect to take it to the doctor and just get it repaired. You have some responsibility here, and a great deal of power as well. You have the power of your mind! You have the right to ask questions, to ask what you can do to help yourself, or ask what not to do. Western medicine may think they have all the cutting edge technology but have you ever heard, “The operation was a success but the patient died?” The doctor is only in control of the treatment; you control the rest of the outcome. Get involved! It’s your life we’re talking about. Try everything in addition to Western medicine; plenty of it is free too. Check out the alternative practices on my other blog site. See them at:
http://healingsoul-utions.blogspot.com