Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.
I couldn’t figure out when this tradition of sending Christmas letters started but google it and you’ll find some pretty hilarious stuff. All tips and etiquette of Christmas letter writing.
I get quite a kick out of receiving these letters. I never get them from people who I’d really like to hear from. My friends whom I would like to know what their kids are up to, how the job and dogs are, what new hobbies they have picked up.
I tend to get them from 2 sorts. The first is the kind I call just plain bragging. “My 15 year old got early acceptance into Stanford. Hubby got a promotion and a million dollar bonus and the dog now walks on two legs.” These just don’t seem real to me. They aren’t informative in any meaningful way.
The other kind I get are perhaps too real. I got one this year from someone who is only an acquaintance, so I didn’t know the people she was talking about in her family. That didn’t stop her from telling me that her sister had been to rehab for an eating disorder in the spring. I had to laugh thinking that maybe the reason she has an eating disorder is because her family has no boundaries.
I do remember a client I had in the past whose family sent a letter out each year and everyone in the family, including the kids, wrote a bit about the book they read that year that they liked the most. Those were great letters. I learned something about each person in the family and got good book suggestions.
I’ve never done a yearly letter, but decided to this year. Before you go below to read it let me say two things about it. 1) There is no page 1 to the letter and 2) there are no gift cards.
The Ann Clan Yearly Letter page 2
which hopefully explains why so many of you received $2,000 gift cards from me. I just think it’s hard to be poor in America. It may be hard to be poor in Somalia too but I wouldn’t know I can’t afford air fare to go and check it out there.
Overall it’s been a great year. I’ve been to the hospital twice and that’s only because we have new signs on the highway that tell you how long the wait is at the nearest hospital.
I got so excited when I read the sign the first time and it said “8 minute” wait and the next time, “3 minute wait”. Who could pass up that kind of deal? I veered off the highway and into the parking lot of the nearest hospital.
It turns out though that if you don’t have insurance the wait is closer to eleventy hours than 3 minutes so I don’t pop into the hospital anymore.
We have other new signs on our highways; huge overhead signs that warn you not to text and drive and tell you the current death toll from accidents and compare it to last years.
They look like this:
2012 deaths 963
2013 deaths 908
Now, I can’t do that kind of math in my head, which is why I recently almost ran into the back of a semi truck due to reading the signs.
I swerved wildly over into the far right lane narrowly missing the truck and guard rail, which was a good thing because when I looked up I saw that the sign for the hospital said the wait was 52 minutes!!
Either the road less traveled is becoming more traveled or someone is adding distractions just trying to test us, so be careful out there.
Much love,
Tracy
Oh yes and I refuse to accept that it’s anywhere near the year 2014. According to most estimates humans have been on this planet in our current form for around 200,000 years. My checks will say 200,014 this year. Cash them or don’t.
Did you get any yearly letters from your friends (or people you barely know) updating you on their families activities for the last year? Did you send one?