Get It and Give It in Writing

We’re Irish.

We don’t share our emotions or wax poetic unless we’re actually writing poetry. Of course, we’re a bit famous for that too.

I found the letter from my brother tucked between pairs of pants in my big bag. It was a surprise I discovered while repacking for the umpteenth time ahead of my flight from Vancouver to Shanghai It was apparently slipped into the packing cube while I was out of his house and running errands (more like eating and drinking).

The letter is very personal, but you know exactly what it says.

It now begs the question, what does it mean when your hero is proud of you?

Cancer has been stalking my brother relentlessly for about a decade now. A daily pill keeps it at bay, but it’s a struggle for him and his wife to always be at least one step ahead. Doctor visits are too numerous to count and his descriptions of the procedures he’s endured make me shudder.

Of course, when he’s done telling the horrific tale I hang up the phone and go on with my life. For him, that’s not an option.

My brother described this expedition as brave. I can tell you, it’s not brave at all. It’s probably the most selfish thing a person can do. But being selfish (for a limited time) isn’t all bad. Education is selfish, a career can be selfish, even taking a wife can be selfish (I think).

Drinking champagne while jetting across the Pacific is selfish and it isn’t brave. Bold, maybe, but not brave. Look cancer in the eye and commit to the world that you’re going to run a marathon and raise $100,000 doing it, that’s brave.

And now my brother says he’s proud of ME!?! Bah.

I’ve always known my brother is proud of me, but now I have it in writing.

Would it have killed him to slip a little cash in the envelope?

See, I’m Irish…