Love & Coping

Ok, folks... The photoblog is still on the agenda. I'm just not well enough yet to sit in front of the computer to manipulate the pics yet. This third round has been a pain in the heiney to shake. I even got sick for the first time last night and I *hate* getting sick with a passion that knows no bounds. I'm hoping the rest of today I'll be on the upswing. *fingers crossed*

So today, I thought I'd write instead about something that is important and affects both the Cancer Survivor and everyone that surrounds them.

We are all born with a sense of self-preservation. For the Survivor, that means getting the cancer out of us, getting it treated, and hopefully getting on with our lives without it ever coming back. For those around us, it's a bit different. Self-preservation isn't just about survival. To break the word down, it's about preserving one's "self".

I warned Aaron when we first started down this road that our friends and family will react in a few different ways to our news. Some will feel a need to jump in with both feet and do what they can to help us out. (Thank the Goddess for these folks!!!!) Some won't be comfortable and will pretend like nothing big is going on in our lives, but will still interact with us on a limited basis. Some others will extract themselves from our lives altogether until the crisis is over.

Some of you may read this and think, "Dang! That's mean!" or "Some people are just so selfish!" But I totally get it. Each reaction is meant to protect that person from harming their own psyche. I understand all of these because I have been guilty of each of them over the course of my life.

We do the best with what we're given at any particular point in our lives. And with life experience and depending on the result or lack of that experience, we are given different coping mechanisms. If someone has never dealt with cancer before, has heard all the bad stories, could you really blame a person for shutting down out of fear? I can't.

So, I guess the whole point of this is to my friends and family... Go with your comfort level. I know that I am loved, even from a distance, and that I love you guys too. We'll still be good when this is all over. *hugs*