To Be A Pilgrim

PATER NOSTER from Salomon on Vimeo.


A re-post from several days ago because I LOVE this poem!  I realize the film shows the interactions of a couple, but for me, the woman represents the rest of the world and the protagonist will stand his ground no matter what...maintain his right to be a "pilgrim"...to journey through life UNAFRAID of the learning process, unafraid of STANDING UP.

A friend who writes several blogs asked me to contribute a piece on what it's like to have Parkinson's Disease.  What is it like to know that over the course of xx number of years, you will lose your ability to move...even your facial muscles will freeze.  It is a slow progression but there is no present known cure and it is, therefore, inevitable.

One of the best ways of favorably impacting the decline in function is vigorous exercise.  But, what if f the greatest impacts in your experience of PD are the mood/planning/cognitive and emotional effects.  You find yourself feeling chained to home, unable to get yourself out the door while you know this is worsening the impact of PD..  You know because you feel the difference.  You think: "Yes, I am going down the tubes.  There are people who want me to go down the tubes.  I am so tired of fighting to stay afloat, I will allow myself to sink."

And then, the structure of the Team (Team in Training) throws a rope in.  You can haul yourself out of the hole and there are coaches, like Larry Prensky, who believe in you as well as other supportive people who stand and cheer for you.  You have a structure standing behind you.  You are no longer alone and, on top of that, you have a goal to work towards.  For that season, the team saves your life.
They are good people, the vast majority of them.

Then, there are the people who say "How can you have PD and do a triathlon?"  For a moment, you think, "I must fear them.  They will certainly hurt me.  And some of them actually try to ...not because they  know me (What justification can there be for setting out to hurt someone?  Revenge?  Justice?  I prefer to think it stems from confusion).

Well, I will not back away from doing all that I can to complete the TRI...most likely sprint, rather than olympic,   Gossip can stalk me.  I WILL NOT crawl away, back into my comfortable hole to increase the speed of decay.  I WILL NOT allow fear to dictate the terms of MY life.