I hate the word cope. Such a stupid word. To me it means to put w/ crap imposed upon you by someone else. My daughter has to cope with having Crohn's Disease for the rest of her life, and I have to cope with the way she's coping with it. She has to develop coping skills, which are supposed to help her endure this lifelong struggle. She would prefer not to but no one ever consulted her. I have to cope with the death of my mother. I would prefer not to but no one ever consulted me. Dictionary.com defines cope as: 1. "to struggle or deal" and 2. "to face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties." My translation: take it in the a$$ and get over it. Supposedly by wrestling with some opposition we will become stronger human beings, but I feel my most powerful when I'm happy and content and not having to deal with any bullshit.
Cope has an interesting etymology in that it derives from the word coup (pronounced koo), as in what Native Americans would do to any enemy by attacking them w/o any reciprocation. For example, a Sioux warrior would count coup on his enemy by sneaking up on him and attacking him before the enemy could strike back. Therefore, coup was an accomplishment. So it was an act of bravery. Well, I do consider my daughter very courageous in dealing with her disease. Maybe cope should actually be an acronym for Courageous, Obstinent Person Effectuating. Yep, I think that describes Mackenzie and me.
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