Thinking it through before I begin

It's taking me some time to think how I want to write about life, living with Dig's cancer. My uncertainty stems from my precarious position. This is uncomfortable. I don't know the story. I don't know what will happen. I can't be certain about anything. And I can't yet answer this most basic question: What is this bomb blast that surrounds us, as we get up every day to tread our normal paths?

A large part of me answers, then don't write at all. And certainly not in public. Head down, keep going. No one is a part of this, except us.

But I respect the shared human knowledges that come through text; the hand-holding of folk wisdoms; the comfort of the written word. Blogs, forums, anecdotes, discussion lists, interest groups. They've all been friends to me. They are reminders; to do lists; promissory notes. Don't forget this will happen. Be prepared for that. Watch for the impact of this drug. Have you tried this? Did you remember to ask when you had the chance? Maybe our experiences can be useful, from me to you.

But then again, I know that my purpose for writing is utterly selfish. Here's my self-indulgent therapy of a tippytappy keyboard. Words remind me to have a goal, a focus, a point. They help me put one foot in front of another, and remember what I'm doing. Now I want to record the days to know that they were here. In them, we lived. And through them, I know I can find my cold eye to turn on my own experience.

But what is this story I'm telling? I don't want it to be drugged up with words like Oxaliplatin and  Fluorouracil. You can find places enough for those. I want it to be a story with love and gratitude, kindnesses and bright sides. And humour. Because if we don't laugh, we don't survive.

But there are moments, many, many, when the path's all messed up; the words are jumbled, and not much meaning will arise. But if you're facing cancer, that just might make sense.