I'm not a heavy user of Facebook (FB). I have nothing against the platform, and it's controls do allow me to choose whose opinions about the world and politics I want to listen to or not. I guess I would describe my user habits as a voyeur more than a voicer.
I'm also not a regular viewer of America's Got Talent (AGT). Here too, I have nothing against Simon Cowell or the bad grammar of their title. I understand the concept, not really the rules (and that's ok) - it's just not one of my go-to reality talent competition shows.
But somehow, serendipitously perhaps, I saw a posting on FB which led me to a clip from a recent episode of AGT that featured a cancer survivor who turned her health experiences into an original song. Her moving performance was rewarded with the seldom-showered golden buzzer. Her singing was captivating, but it was her lyrics, and through them her message, that really resonated with me - a fellow cancer survivor. To me, the title "It's Okay" had three personal meanings.
First of all, as a person with cancer, you find yourself telling folks that things are okay - a lot. That's not necessarily a lie, and it's not that they really aren't genuinely interested, but on a day-to-day basis, especially with me and my MM being in long-term maintenance mode, the disease and ergo life is pretty much okay.
Second, like with many "things" that we can't control or need to learn to live with, an objective examination of my physical/emotional health situation affirms that it really is okay. I have the benefit of: modern medicine, an amazing Onc team, and an incredible support network of family and friends - who all help make it so.
The third "okay" is more of a mantra than anything. If I take into consideration the aforementioned, allow myself to accept the reality, take the bitter with the sweet, and move on with life (hydrating, being compliant with my meds, and keeping it real), then in fact it will be okay. Or at least it has been so far; and I see no change in that prognosis for the long-term foreseeable future. I have developed a voice inside my head that keeps reminding me of this legitimately optimistic outlook (in a supportive and comforting, yet still honest way).
"Okay" is a somewhat lazy and worn-out word in our society, often a catch-all for anything other than disastrous. But in this case okay is just that: "okay," and that's plenty good under the circumstances. I don't get the benefit of a cure but I'm not dying either - so if I put it all in perspective; okay is pretty good. Believing it is up to me.
