Don’t Say Nothing. Say Something.

Everyone who reads this blog will know that last week was my one year “Cancerversary” . Well, my cancerversary of my Hodgkin’s diagnosis anyway.

Blogging my way through it has been one way that I’ve dealt with it. I’ve come to make connections on Twitter that have been an amazing support. Some people don’t get it, and that’s just fine. It doesn’t float everyone’s boat. We’re all different and that is what makes life interesting.

Both times I got  my diagnosis, I made a conscious decision to post it on Facebook and Twitter, only once my friends and family knew. Some people wouldn’t, they would choose to deal with it privately and not broadcast it to all and sundry. That’s okay too.

In this post , I managed to put family and friends into six categories. Looking back at that post, I stand by everything I said. And dealing with cancer the second time round, those six categories still exist.

Someone I have a lot of respect for in the blogging community is having a hard time at the moment. I haven’t met her “in real life” but she always has an encouraging or supportive word to say to me. She is one of my favourite bloggers and you should really go and have a read to see for yourself.

Henrietta has made the point this week that people who don’t know what to say, say nothing at all. It’s not about saying the “right” thing, or the “wrong” thing. It’s about saying something. It’s about letting someone know that even if you don’t know what to say that you are thinking about them.

People will talk. I know for a fact that people who haven’t spoken to me for years have been talking about me. Did they call, text, email, send a card, even say to send their love via someone else? No. All that makes me feel like is a piece of gossip to talk about in the office kitchen or the pub.

If anything has been taught to us over the last year or so, it’s that life is too short, and we may not have forever to say the things we want to say. Treasure your family, love your friends, and show them that you do. You don’t have to say something profound or wonderful, but just say something.