Fighting Parkinson’s, and where it all began, part 44

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 November 10, 2009 journal entry, seven years ago today.

“11/10/09. Up at 4. Slow and in pain, but feeling a bit lighter and a little straighter in my spine. By 10:00am, feeling like any other day…hunched forward and shuffling…my Parkinson’s normal.

My arms and legs are feeling weak. I have severe rigidity in my thighs, which is worse than it has been, and I have regular rigidity in my arms.

Oh well, tomorrow we will see how all this plays out.”

I feel this is a good time to discuss acceptance. As you can see, I was forty-four days into staring at my Parkinson’s, and I had reached a bit of a level of acceptance of “what is.” On this day, I did not comment “good or bad” on what was happening, but instead, was just reporting “what is.”

Acceptance of what is happening in your life and with your symptoms is a critical component of your Parkinson’s recovery. It was how I eventually developed my “okay” attitude. “Okay” became a repetitive, relentless response to life…it simply meant, “I am accepting what is happening in my life right now.” Acceptance defeats fear, anger, worry, frustration, emotional stress, and anxiety. And, acceptance leads to solutions, “Okay, this is happening and I do not like it, so what will I do about it.”

Click here for a more in-depth discussion of “Okay.”

Okay? Yes, absolutely OKAY!

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.