the banana bread conundrum

In the TV series I watched recently, a woman had breast cancer, and was frustrated that everyone kept bringing her banana bread. Her irritation hit home: I have, in my life, given many, many loaves of banana bread, although never specifically for a cancer diagnosis. Am I that predictable? Am I doing the wrong thing? Probably, no one wants friends giving pitying looks, oversolicitous family members hovering around, everyone saying “Tell me if there’s anything I can do.” Do we mean it? Or do we mean, is there anything I can do that won’t mess up my schedule or make me go outside my comfort zone?

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