It has been many years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and started the long journey of having a chronic degenerative condition. What has amazed me is the uniqueness of this disease on people of all ages and of all backgrounds. There are times when I feel truly disabled by my Parkinson’s, yet there are other times when I feel normal (whatever that is!). I think it is not so much the disease itself, but my reactions to the various changes in my body and mind. For example, I used to enjoy walking, however, a simple stroll around the neighborhood is incredibility cumbersome, nearly impossible now. However, I have tried to accommodate by reducing my walks to small jaunts around our yard to check out the plantings or go to and from the mailbox that is at the end of our drive way.
I have had to change my expectations of daily activities in many ways. I find it difficult to get up from a chair without falling, getting out of the bath tub without tripping or staying up past my usual bedtime without feeling overwhelming tired. Soooo….I have learned to adapt! I grumble (to myself), get frustrated and then conclude, “It could be much worse!”
This does not mean that I am glad I have Parkinson’s, but just this simple phrase reminds me how fortunate I am that I do not have a more debilitating illness and that the progression of my Parkinson’s has still allowed me to have a meaningful life. Sometimes I think about others who are truly immobile or disabled. The many people who have to totally rely on someone else for bathing, sitting or just rolling over in the bed . Those are persons for whom finding joy in life must come from an inner strength. No one honestly knows what trials and tribulations any person experiences and how adjusting to such conditions occurs, but I know that finding courage to approach each day is a bit more tolerable when I realize “it could be worse!”
Photo Credit: Debra Sundberg
Norway