In five more days, 2012 will be upon us, and I am happy to see how many of you (from blog comments and personal emails) are looking forward to 2012 as a year of continuing recovery all the way to full recovery. That’s the attitude needed to fight Parkinson’s.
In 2009, as I neared the end of the year, I did not view 2010 as something that was going to be as spectacular as it turned out. I knew I would recover some day in the future, and I knew I needed to do the Recipe for Recovery every day, but I had anticipated that it would take two or three years to reach full recovery. By not having an expectation of when I would reach full recovery, I was able to focus on what I did each day in furtherance of recovery…December 31, 2009 was not a whole lot different than January 1, 2010…but I was okay with that.
I was not attached to the day-to-day review of symptoms. I was not attached to the day-to-day “am I feeling better or worse than yesterday” assessment. I was not attached to my Parkinson’s physical limitations. I accepted them as something that would be there as I was healing my soul, mind and body from the inside. It was this understanding of recovery that allowed me to be in the moment of recovery.
My goal was full recovery, and I had a plan in place to achieve the goal. My goal each day was to do the Recipe for Recovery. My goal each day was to do the Qigong exercises and eat healthy foods. My goal each day was to meditate and focus on my breathing. My goal each day was to spend time with my Higher Power expressing gratitude, opening my heart and finding joy and love.
So, as we near the end of 2011, think about this today and on each of the next four days:
What if you decide that instead of living Parkinson’s symptoms, you are going to live your life.
What if you decide that instead of thinking about the Recipe for Recovery, you are going to do the Recipe for Recovery.
What if you decide that instead of living Parkinson’s, you are going to live Parkinson’s recovery.
And, what if you decide today, and each of the next four days, to leave a part of the “old Parkinson’s you” in 2011, so it will no longer be with you as you become the “new recovering you” in 2012.
Let’s do this together. Starting today, and until the end of 2011, repeat: “I have the power to heal myself. I am so much more than Parkinson’s symptoms. I am alive, and I am recovering!”
Aren’t you worth it?
All my best,
Howard
