Sitting Up Is Hard to Do
A Bittersweet Parody* of an Old Pop Song, Produced by Anne’s Courage and Wit
Anne, ever the philosopher of the practical, has coined her own anthem: “Sitting up is hard to do.” She murmurs it with the gravitas of a torch song, and it echoes through our home like a wry mantra. Gone are the carefree days of simply swinging her legs out of bed—now, each attempt at verticality is a ballet of determination, a slapstick spectacle, and, occasionally, a group project worthy of applause.
The struggle is real and, if you’ll forgive the pun, upright. Brain cancer, that uninvited houseguest, has rewritten the choreography of Anne’s every move. The once-mundane act of sitting up is now akin to scaling Everest in socks: there are false starts, dramatic collapses, and enough huffing and puffing to suggest someone’s attempting a new Olympic event. Sometimes, we rally the wayward pillows and renegade blankets as if staging a rescue operation—call it the “Mission Impossible: Sit-Up Edition.” All the while, Anne’s running commentary keeps us both laughing: “If only gravity would take a coffee break, I might actually make it.”
She’s learned to find the funny tucked between the frustrations; for example, yesterday morning, upon hearing another vicious Ottawa winter weather report, Anne declared, “my forecast today is mostly horizontal with a 50% chance of falling over.” Each attempt at getting up ends with her trademark smile, a sigh, and sometimes an encore performance—because sitting up, it turns out, is a daily variety show…and is bloody hard to do.
In these moments, laughter cozies up to the sorrow, and the punchline emerges from the flotsam and jetsam of Anne’s flickering consciousness. Anne’s refrain reminds us: even when sitting up is hard to do, smiling together makes it a little lighter. And on those rare, triumphant mornings when she, with a final huff, sits tall and proud, there’s a quiet celebration—one that says love, resilience, and a wicked sense of humour can still take centre stage.
*Neil Sedaka – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Lyrics)
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
