Would you rather....
When I was in college (which is hard to believe was almost 20 years ago) I had some really great roommates. This might be hard to believe, but at one point in my life I was pretty withdrawn and insecure. Then, my dad, in his wisdom decided it was high time for me to move in with roommates in Provo where I was going to school. He signed me a contract and then told me how much I would be paying in rent. Seriously. It was life changing, and he was inspired.
Ends up I moved in with 7 other girls who became some of my best friends.
The "chicken coop" is where we lived. It was an old house with tiny bedrooms, hidden closets and two bathrooms that couldn't be used at this same time. Somehow, all of that didn't matter as we found ways to leave the shower running as we sprinted in and out of the bathroom to stop the "upstairs" from showering before church and borrowed clothes from other closets in the house when our own closets were hard to access. It was classic college living and it was wonderful.
We also played a lot of games. Mostly games of our making that entertained only us and gave us the reputation of having dinners that resembled a train wreck with all the noise.
One of the games that was often played was: Would You Rather.....not with pre-made cards like the game now, but rather with questions of our own making. They usually involved kissing or dates or food. Here is a sampling of how it would go:
You get the idea.
You HAVE TO PICK.
You cannot bow out.
And everyone plays....and it tells you a lot about yourself and your friends. And it is embarrassing and fun, and we were in college and finding ways to entertain ourselves....and even when we were graduated from college we were still playing this game, trying to entertain ourselves. *It is a wonder that we were known as "the old girls" at church -- we stayed so happy with each other playing would you rather we didn't even need to date.
Anyway fast forward 20 years and I feel like I am playing a game of would you rather every single day, only it isn't near as fun and I really do miss my Chicken Coop Clan.
This time my game of would you rather goes a little bit like this.
Would you rather: a: be up all night long sleepless because you had steroids or b: be up part of the night puking and then sleep in and not get to see your husband for over 48 hours?
Would you rather: a:lie stretch the truth about how you are feeling so you can just spend time with your kids or b: tell the truth and accept help from those around you/have your kids being taken care of by someone else all the time?
Would you rather: a: eat and chance throwing up what originally tasted delicious and never want to eat it again or b: not eat and hopefully not throw up.
Would you rather a: gain weight because you are finally able to eat or b: gain weight because your body holds onto every single pound it can?
Would you rather: a: go running and have your feet hurt the whole time, but get some fresh air or b: go swimming and smell like chlorine for the entire rest of the day?
Would you rather: a: spend your day at doctors appointments every other week and go to chemo or b: forget about it and let the cancer grow?
I would like to re-write the rules to would you rather and be able to pick none of the above, but that isn't really an option for me, now or ever.
I would rather not have cancer.
I would rather not feel yucky.
I would rather not pretend for my children that everything is okay.
I would rather not be going through this.
However, I would rather it be me than someone I love.
I would rather fight this than just give up.
I would rather be able to see all the blessings that have come to our family the last 8 months.
I would rather be me than not be me and I guess this me is the one with cancer.
Round #14 done....and the last week of tax/busy season to boot. (well, it isn't really done, but the pump is gone which is more than half the battle).
Round #15 and then it is time for a VACATION.
And because this post wouldn't be complete without a picture of some of us "chicken coop" friends....here we are on our get together in December! :)
Ends up I moved in with 7 other girls who became some of my best friends.
The "chicken coop" is where we lived. It was an old house with tiny bedrooms, hidden closets and two bathrooms that couldn't be used at this same time. Somehow, all of that didn't matter as we found ways to leave the shower running as we sprinted in and out of the bathroom to stop the "upstairs" from showering before church and borrowed clothes from other closets in the house when our own closets were hard to access. It was classic college living and it was wonderful.
We also played a lot of games. Mostly games of our making that entertained only us and gave us the reputation of having dinners that resembled a train wreck with all the noise.
One of the games that was often played was: Would You Rather.....not with pre-made cards like the game now, but rather with questions of our own making. They usually involved kissing or dates or food. Here is a sampling of how it would go:
Would you rather kiss a: _____________(insert name of awkward boy who lives down the street and looks like he has never kissed anyone) or b: ________________?(insert name of an old boyfriend of Garnet)
or
Would you rather a: eat garbanzo bean surprise or b: chilean hot dogs for dinner? (in case you weren't there....which most of you weren't -- garbanzo bean surprise and chilean hot dogs are both "meals" that may have been served at some point in our house).
or
Would you rather a: find Jenny's curly red hair in your bed and in your textbooks and everywhere or b: have Olivia drive you to work in her slippers? (this was probably not an either or....as these were common occurrences, but you could dream).
or
Would you rather a: go on a group date with a bunch of random HAM radio geeks or b: go explore the cemetery (at night) with a random bunch of guys who showed up to a party at your house?
or
Would you rather go out with a: _________________(insert name of hot, very handsome guy who took his garbage out everyday with his shirt off) or b: _____________?(insert name of coveted, spiritual, older, good looking guy who it seems everyone wants to go out with -- he has a job and church responsibilities that he fulfills).
You get the idea.
You HAVE TO PICK.
You cannot bow out.
And everyone plays....and it tells you a lot about yourself and your friends. And it is embarrassing and fun, and we were in college and finding ways to entertain ourselves....and even when we were graduated from college we were still playing this game, trying to entertain ourselves. *It is a wonder that we were known as "the old girls" at church -- we stayed so happy with each other playing would you rather we didn't even need to date.
Anyway fast forward 20 years and I feel like I am playing a game of would you rather every single day, only it isn't near as fun and I really do miss my Chicken Coop Clan.
This time my game of would you rather goes a little bit like this.
Would you rather: a: be up all night long sleepless because you had steroids or b: be up part of the night puking and then sleep in and not get to see your husband for over 48 hours?
Would you rather: a:
Would you rather: a: eat and chance throwing up what originally tasted delicious and never want to eat it again or b: not eat and hopefully not throw up.
Would you rather a: gain weight because you are finally able to eat or b: gain weight because your body holds onto every single pound it can?
Would you rather: a: go running and have your feet hurt the whole time, but get some fresh air or b: go swimming and smell like chlorine for the entire rest of the day?
Would you rather: a: spend your day at doctors appointments every other week and go to chemo or b: forget about it and let the cancer grow?
You know, what would you rather do?
I would like to re-write the rules to would you rather and be able to pick none of the above, but that isn't really an option for me, now or ever.
I would rather not have cancer.
I would rather not feel yucky.
I would rather not pretend for my children that everything is okay.
I would rather not be going through this.
However, I would rather it be me than someone I love.
I would rather fight this than just give up.
I would rather be able to see all the blessings that have come to our family the last 8 months.
I would rather be me than not be me and I guess this me is the one with cancer.
Round #14 done....and the last week of tax/busy season to boot. (well, it isn't really done, but the pump is gone which is more than half the battle).
Round #15 and then it is time for a VACATION.
And because this post wouldn't be complete without a picture of some of us "chicken coop" friends....here we are on our get together in December! :)
I agree, I wish you could choose none of the above too! I'm glad that you're close to being done with the rounds, and close to a vacation- praying that time speeds up and goes by quickly until then.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a talented writer and I can only imagine how hilarious this game must have been in college. I also wish you could opt out of the whole cancer scene, but I do admire your honesty, patience, and spunk! You are in our prayers and we love you!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally jealous of your friends! Remember your bridal shower when they brought you spoons and fancy platters you really wanted at Costco?? And I brought lingerie and a book that I tried to edit once I realized it was much worse than I thought. That was an awkward moment. But true friends know your silverware style. Right!? I like them too.
ReplyDelete