His eyes soften and he takes off his headphones when I tell him that I wasn't on vacation, but that I was, in fact, getting chemo.
"Oh man, I know what that's like," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "My mom died of breast cancer, and my dad went from prostate cancer, and my sister-in-law, I know how tough it can be."
"So what you're telling me," I say, thinking to lighten the mood, "is that I have cancer because I know you?"
Foot in mouth indeed. And it's always a psychological battle when you hear news like that from a friend to refrain from blurting out all that sort of stuff -- even though it's not going to do anyone any good. Don't know why...
ReplyDeleteI worried that he might take offense, but he breezed right past it. Clearly dealing with his own stuff, which is understandable. A lot of times I have to realize that, however people respond, it's not really about me. They're working through their own thing. No sense in me getting offended.
ReplyDeletePeople want to relate, to connect. It's perfectly reasonable. It's very touching to me that they care, even if the ways that they try to establish that connection are sometimes clumsy. The intention is good, so I'll take it.