Parkinson’s Disease does not care about us. It needs us to survive, but it does not care about us. It needs a body to live in, but it does not care about us. It needs a mind to live in, but it does not care about us. It needs a soul to live in, but it does not care about us. It does not care about our age or sex or color of our skin or country of our origin or religion into which we are born…as long as it can invade and pollute a soul and a mind and a body, it is happy. Parkinson’s fights back when we wage our war against it. It is why we have to feel worse before we can get better.
Think about this:
Ground troops (you) are on a mission to overtake the enemy’s command center (Parkinson’s).
When the troops are 200 miles away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops are 100 miles away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops are 50 miles away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops are 10 miles away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops are 1 mile away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops are 1000 feet away, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops?
When the troops have arrived at the enemy’s command center walls and are breaking down the doors and climbing over the walls, what is the level of the enemy’s concern; how hard is the enemy fighting against the troops? I think you will have to agree that at this point in time, doesn’t the enemy unleash whatever big guns it has left in order to defeat or discourage the troops so they will leave?
Do the troops get discouraged and leave or do they stay and fight the fight of their life to carry out the mission? Do you have the will and strength and faith to outlast Parkinson’s when it is unleashing the big guns? Or does fear grab you, Parkinson’s fear, and trick you into thinking that because you are feeling worse, you are getting worse? Parkinson’s is a crafty enemy.
Why do you think that while you are spending all of that time chipping away at the inside of that iceberg (see the last blog entry, Fighting Parkinson’s, and faith, attitude, action, progress) that you generally see and feel little or no progress? Parkinson’s wants you to give up on your own. Why do you think Parkinson’s fights you so hard when you have chipped away at the iceberg long enough that you are breaking through to the surface? Because Parkinson’s knows that for you to have stayed on the path long enough to break through to the surface, along the way you have gained self-confidence and an undying strength in your soul, mind and body that screams at Parkinson’s, “I have the power to heal myself!”
At that juncture, there is nothing left for Parkinson’s to do but unleash whatever it has left in its arsenal to make you stop fighting. Parkinson’s realizes that it cannot win, so it tries to trick you into thinking that you cannot win…do not be fooled. Be strong, stay on the path, and continue fighting until you win! Aren’t you worth it?
All my best,
Howard
