Fighting Parkinson’s, and where it all began, part 14

Seven years ago, I began doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®. Of course, back then it did not have a name…it was just what I was doing. At the same time, I began keeping a hand-written Parkinson’s Daily Journal. It is time to share my journal with all of you. Here is my October 11, 2009 journal entry, seven years ago today.

“10/11/09. Slept in again. Got up around 7:30. Very slow moving. I think it is a real Catch 22 – I am supposed to get “enough” rest to heal, but when I wake up without an alarm waking me at 4am, I am stiff and sore worse than when getting up at 4am.

I got downstairs, and within a few minutes, Cricket started barking. I took her outside in the back yard and stayed there 10-15 minutes. She had gone all the way across the yard and went up the stairs near the kitchen.

Apparently, my legs were not awake enough for the steeper stairs as I could not manage them. I learn something new every day. I am looking forward to the day when I learn something I can do again as opposed to my normal day of learning a new limitation.

After lunch, Sally and I had a date — we went to the grocery store. I cherish every moment I have with Sally – the drive in the car, the walking through the store, the drive home, the comfort of her being the last thing I see before I go to bed and the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

Parkinson’s Disease is a pain to have, but it pales in comparison to the blessings I have in my life.”

I was an experiment on myself. It is why I was so consumed with detailing the symptoms. That way, I could figure them out and get better. Also, by detailing them, nobody ever could doubt they were real.

As you know, if you were not having the Parkinson’s experience, there would be no way you could detail the nuances of everyday life with Parkinson’s, like trying to explain rigidity or trying to explain how you have a thought and watch it slowly leave your brain and head down to your mouth only to find that the conversation has moved on and it no longer is relevant…so you close your mouth and feel alone.

Well, my friends, you are not alone. We are all here together! For that, I am grateful. We connect with each other and it makes the worldwide recovery vibration stronger.

As I said seven years ago today in my personal daily journal, “Parkinson’s Disease is a pain to have, but it pales in comparison to the blessings I have in my life.”

Count your blessings, not your symptoms. Smile and be grateful.

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard

Please note: I will be posting one post per day through the middle of November. If you subscribe to receive email notifications when I post new blog posts and you would prefer to not receive those daily email notifications, simply send me an email at howard@fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com, and let me know that you do not wish to receive a daily email with a link to each post. I will remove you from the list through the middle of November and add you back on the list after the middle of November. However, I still would recommend you checking the blog on a regular basis as it will contain very useful information for understanding my journey and helping with your journey.