Well, I haven't been posting regularly so I guess I'm catching up today.
Two weekends ago I attended a retreat. It was the first of its kind for patients of Young Onset Parkinsons Disease. I have Parkinsons. I haven't generally discussed it so openly but one of the things that came out of that retreat is that it is like a disease that people try to hide or keep secret. People need to understand more about it and to know how many people have it and its impact. So, here I am sharing and hoping for the best.
If you've heard of my last winter (42 days on snow).......that is what drove it and it was wonderful (just check with my neurologist!).
I won't say that finding out you have Parkinsons (I found out about 2 years ago) is a picnic. And yet, in many ways, it is actually a gift. For me, its caused me to evaluate what is really important and what is not. Its caused to set physical goals (like improving as a skier, doing a 1/2 and perhaps a full marathon, etc) because I can probably do them now but may not be able to later.
Of all the things I've done to come to terms with Parkinsons, the single most helpful action has been to be a part of a Buddhist support group for seriously ill people. I am the healthiest ongoing member of that group and though it may sound difficult to understand, the other members of the group, who are either dying or looking at the prospect much more closely, teach me day by day what it is to look at something you're afraid of and to accept it, deal with it day by day making the most of every experience, to be able to see the beauty that surrrounds us, to push aside the distractions and the petty aspects of life. Thank you Hilda, whever you are for holding out your hands to me. Thank you Mick for being the center point, who could ask for a better overall guide? Thank you Ann for your poetry and wisdom.
