“It could be a lot worse,” she said quietly into the phone.

“I know,” I answered, “but I’m just so stressed out.”

“It. Could. Be. A. Lot. Worse,” she said again because she noticed the complete lack of resignation in my first response. She knew she would have to make her invaluable point a second time.

That time I got it. I remembered I was talking to a woman wearing a wig because her head was covered by the peach fuzz of her natural hair that had just begun growing back in.

“Yes,” I answered this time. “You are right. It could be a lot worse.”

Draw a big black check next to my reality.

Remembering that I was talking to a woman who had recently looked cancer in its chemo-filled-radiation-plugged face reminded me not to stress out over blooming responsibilities, small annoyances or daily demands when ones’ health is thriving. Even major events in life such as moving, getting fired, getting married, getting divorced or other crucial life transitions pale in comparison to a critical health crisis.

This woman had learned to take lightly the little stressors, maybe even enjoying the mundane in the midst of a major hardship. Worrying about paying a late bill or getting to work on time became a luxury of “life lite” compared to the heavier weight of dealing with a deadly disease.

“It could be a lot worse” has become a mantra my husband and I use to encourage each other during the frustrating or stressful moments that accompany typical family life, if you’re coping with parent-child issues, financial concerns about the future or unpleasant surprises. In one weekend, we dealt with a flooded laundry room and a leaking hot water heater in an upstairs bathroom, two completely unrelated events.

As we mopped up water from the floor and cabinets and wrote a four-digit check for the emergency weekend visit of two plumbers and the purchase of a new water heater, we kept reminding each other of those six mood-altering, perception-adjusting, life-valuing words.

In addition, the weekend had started with a reminder that literally forces you to stop in your tracks and consider the devastating possibilities. My husband got stuck in a traffic jam caused by a deadly accident. That tragic reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly we can meet our end set a tone of acceptance for any other stressors.

If we, and our loved ones, are given the gift of life that morning and awarded breath all day, then any other development — no matter how upsetting — is overshadowed by the privilege of living. “The quote I try to live by,” said the cancer survivor recently, “is ‘Don’t let tomorrow rob you of today.’ ”

Also, as is commonly stated, that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. During that phone conversation a couple of years ago, I was reminded by the woman that dealing with the threat of death can give us a powerful dose of more strength. We need to increase our strength as we grow older because we will eventually encounter the “a lot worse” that could be — for a family member, for a dear friend or for ourselves.

I fretted about dealing with a “worse” one day in the future as I spoke to my mother. “I can’t imagine now how I will deal with that when it happens.”

“God will give you the strength when you need it,” she answered, her voice firm but comforting. “You can’t prepare for it. You’ll just deal with it when it comes.”

It could be a lot worse. And I am reassured that my faith in a higher power will help me when it inevitably is.

Jaletta Albright Desmond is a self-syndicated columnist who writes about faith, family, and the fascinatingly mundane aspects of daily life. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two daughters. Contact her at jdesmond@bdtonline.com.