Living Boldly

We're in New Jersey this weekend for one of my daughter's lacrosse tournaments.  We headed out to the fields for the tournament this afternoon and almost as soon as we got there, it started raining and, within 15 minutes, they had canceled the remaining games for today.  

The tournament is being held at a sod farm east of the Philadelphia suburbs in New Jersey.  There was one way in and one way out on a 2-lane road.  And one way in and one way out of the parking lot.  The tournament is pretty big...20 fields and more than 100 teams with about 12 girls per team...and a large percentage of the members of those 100 teams were all trying to leave this little farm at the same time.

Needless to say, the traffic turned into a cluster with folks making new exits, driving around others waiting in line, some folks letting others in and some folks not.  As we sat in traffic after finally making it onto the road, I told Alan, "I should have gotten out and started directing traffic.  Almost everyone will respect the directions of 'The Cancer Lady'."  (Now, I don't really have cancer but when people see my bald head and thin frame, that's the assumption most would make.)  We played out what would happen if I jumped out of the car, pulled off my hat and started directing traffic.  It was fun scenario to consider.

I talk a lot about "playing the cancer card" like when I boldly walk in front of a car driving through a parking lot ("they wouldn't hit the cancer lady").   I think during this recovery period where its quite obvious that I'm recovering from some sort of treatment, that I should use the opportunity to step in and help when I otherwise may have been reluctant.  I have a bit of a "Get out of jail free" card when it comes to someone being offended by my actions.

I don't want to use it as a weapon.  I could imagine that folks facing incurable diseases might use it as an excuse to say offensive and hurtful things or look to get preferential treatment.  That's not what I have in mind.  What I am pondering is trying to show love and, perhaps, gently bring perspective on just how blessed each of us really is.  I don't want to be Debbie Downer as in "your problems aren't real because you're not facing what I am" but I want to try to be a more obvious example of God's love and grace.

Today, as I was leaving a convenience store I said to the clerk, "Have a good day."  He replied, with a real hint of sincerity in his voice, "You try to make it a good day, too" to which I said with a wink, "EVERY day is a good day."  It was a start.