Thursday Tidbits

Posted on March 25, 2021 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

A good friend to have any day of the week

Surely by now, most people who have read all 1204 of my posts know that I’m a pretty optimistic soul, definitely a glass half full kind of guy unless it happens to be merlot! But I do have a darker side to me and occasionally I wander down dimly lit roads. Today is one of those days so if you’re not in the mood, go and check your Instagram account.

I hate cancer.

There, I’ve said it and everyone reading today’s post feels the same way. I realize that I am one of those incredibly fortunate people who is lumped together in the cohort known as the baby boomers. Because we grew up in an unprecedented era of new births, we had lots of friends. The math worked in our favour in so many ways. But now, the seesaw is going the other way and we are losing friends in unprecedented numbers. Obituaries are popping up with shocking regularity.

I know it seems irrational to vent one’s spleen over something that they can’t see, but with every new diagnosis and every death, my wrath grows. It is so sad and frustrating to lose so many wonderful friends. Tom, Irene, JoAnn, Jean…..Sorry, but the list is too long for me to go on.

There is never a good time to lose a friend or family member but in the middle of this gawd awful pandemic, it is particularly painful. Wakes and funerals are cathartic and a way to cope with grief. Having elderly loved ones die alone must be the worst thing imaginable. Not being able to celebrate a life well lived is just plain sad.

I have spent the past several months reading a novel about Terry Fox to my students. I do this religiously every day at 1:15. The class claims to hate it, but they have learned some important lessons about Terry and the devastation of cancer. Even after all these years (he died in June of 1981), I am still inspired by his Marathon of Hope. If I thought for a moment that a long walk would cure cancer, I would start tomorrow. Some of you have seen the map of the world’s longest walk from South Africa to Siberia. It’s approximately 22,000 kilometres long. Looking at the list of countries through which one one would have to travel, a person would have to have an armed guard as a chaperone.

I saw this post the other day. The source was not available.

“Grieving is like having broken ribs. On the outside, you look fine but with every breath, it hurts.”

To those of you grieving the loss of a loved one from cancer (or from any other cause), my heart goes out to you.

Sorry, but even a humourist is allowed to be pissed off by times.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. I am not about to suffer the wrath of my readers by suggesting that the loss of a pet can be compared to that of a human being but from what I know, it is every bit as painful. I feel for you too, especially TMD on the death of your faithful companion, Luna.

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