I acknowledge that we talk a lot about disease within our conversations (admittedly, this is a blog about cancer - after all). To that end, I’m not embarrassed to admit that our family suffers from a particular condition: Movie-Quote-Itis. The symptoms of this illness aren’t easy to spot: the uncontrollable desire/ability to quote random lines of dialogue from movies (the more obscure = the more afflicted the ‘patient’). As one seamlessly weaves their chosen quote into the flow of life’s conversations, their presence and poignancy often go unnoticed - especially to the uninitiated. And yet, how often is the summative and succinct bit of screen dialogue just the perfect way to encapsulate the vibe of a situation.
As I look around the waiting room at the clinic, most eyes look away with an understandable furtive glance, but every once in a while two members of the “Club” catch each other’s gaze and a knowing connection is exchanged in that blink of a moment. No stories are shared (none are necessary) and the diagnostic details are not divulged - but a bolt of understanding shoots across the void and camaraderie is realized.
I may never see them again. That’s not to be misconstrued as a morbid prediction, but rather a reality of the unfortunate volume of visitors to the clinic. And yet we can know so much about that person in a mere nano-second: what they are going through, what their loved ones are enduring, the gray uncertainty and rosey optimism of their predicament.
As this blog’s photo illustrates, the weary Dad need only raise his burned and bandaged hand, and Tim Allen knew exactly what the poor soul had suffered through (“The Santa Clause” - see it !!!). There are so many ways that we can make connections (from social sharing to a silent STARE) but if we don’t seize those occasions they can slip away. Humanity is all around us if we can only open our eyes and find it in action.
