This is the third year I have qualified to participate as a cancer Survivor in this nationally sponsored, locally organized event and the first time I have been able to attend. Not being much given to social welfare gatherings that throw together persons largely unknown to one another who nevertheless share support for the designated cause, I set off with a sense of obligation rather than anticipation to join fellow survivors, their caregivers and other concerned parties.
The event was not a cookie-cutter replication of scripted, rah-rah half-time style boosterism to court media attention. The keynote theme is HOPE. Cynically, I suppose, and subconsciously I expected to hear: “Look what we are doing for you to keep your hope alive.” What I heard instead was an appeal to reach out to each other for support and inspiration. The unexpected turn-around rattled loose my expectations, allowing me to hear a broader message with diverse meanings.
It was a moving event, especially so to see persons with illness far more advanced than mine smiling, their eyes triumphant as they completed the quarter-mile course, their caregivers beaming at their sides.
Despite the size of the gathering and my negative expectations, I felt a one-on-one connection with the employee of a local retirement community who packed the box lunch I enjoyed. I could envision a person spreading the tuna fish salad on a roll and filling the deviled eggs, then, with heart, assembling the contents and sending it out directly to me. The idea that someone who didn’t even know me would reach out to me in that caring manner was comforting. The gesture reinforced my commitment to keep stepping along with a positive attitude toward whatever outcome awaits me.
Stay well!
Copyright 2009
Lynn Chapman-Adler
www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted: June 26, 2009
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
