I had just grabbed my second coffee of the morning and was propping myself up with some much needed caffeine when I heard someone calling my name. “Rob Rob! Wait!” A friend of mine rushed into the elevator, stopping the doors mid close. She piled on slightly out of breath. Immediately, she had me cracking up as we made our way down to ELLICSR. She was doing her best (and hilarious) impression of her physician as Christopher Walken, delivering the news that her surgery had been delayed. I was in stitches.
She’s funny, smart and better than many comedians I’ve seen on TV. And she has cancer and is going through treatment.
What gives? How can someone going through a huge challenge in their life be bright, bubbly, and downright happy?
On the surface it makes no sense at all. According to conventional wisdom, she should be ringing her hands and feeling terrible about the whole thing, yet she had me splitting my sides in a short elevator ride. Was this some kind of Jedi mind trick that she was playing? Perhaps. Is she some kind of super being who can transcend pain and struggle? Maybe.
My friend is very resilient, but I also think that her mood speaks to how we as people tend to
get on with our lives regardless of what is going on. She was able to find comfort, hope and, dare I say it, even a bit of happiness in her day. To me it was this big event and I think to her, she was just going about being herself.
I’m not saying we should all expect this of ourselves. Heck, not at all. There are times when we are sad or angry or having a
tough day when it is completely natural, normal and healthy to express the fact that we feel lousy. I also think that there are times when we can sneak a little bit of happiness or even joy into the process in spite of what is going on. If we can pull it off, we’ll look like Jedi Masters. I’m sure Obi Wan would be proud.
