A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle. As discussed then, each day that you put another piece in the puzzle was one day closer to a completed puzzle. The conclusion: all of the days are good days, one step closer to finishing the Parkinson’s puzzle.
For today’s discussion, if you have not aready read Fighting Parkinson’s, and working on a puzzle, now would be a good time to read it:
https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2022/01/20/fighting-parkinsons-and-working-on-a-puzzle/.
At the time that you are putting the pieces into the 1,000 piece puzzle, none of the 1,000 pieces seems particularly significant, in and of itself. However, let’s take a closer look after the puzzle has been completed.
If the puzzle has been completed and you remove one piece, any one piece, the puzzle is no longer complete. So, each puzzle piece, although seemingly insignificant when building the puzzle, shows its significance in the completed puzzle.
Knowing this fact might entice you to look at each puzzle piece when building the puzzle and say to it, ”Thank you for being a significant member of the completed puzzle that I am in the midst of building.”
Let’s look at this in relationship to your Parkinson’s recovery. There are parts of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® that might seem insignificant to you (why am I doing ”this”). There are parts of the recovery itself that might seem insignificant (why is my day going like “this”). There are things occurring with your symptoms or abilities improvements that might seem insignificant to you (so my walking is a little better, ”so what”).
However, just like the completed puzzle, your completed final recovery is a culmination of recovery pieces put in place over a continuous period of time. If you look at the full recovery, just like the puzzle, you will realize that if you remove any piece, you no longer have a full recovery.
Knowing this fact might entice you to look at each part of your life being brought back into balance and say to it, ”Thank you for being a significant member of the completed full recovery that I am in the midst of having.”
Or, you may use this short-hand for everything happening in your life:
“Thank you for my recovery.”
You are shaking less. “Thank you for my recovery.”
You are shaking more. “Thank you for my recovery.”
The sun is shining. “Thank you for my recovery.”
It is raining. “Thank you for my recovery.”
Your symptoms go up. “Thank you for my recovery.”
Your symptoms go down. “Thank you for my recovery.”
Whatever is happening in your life:
“Thank you for my recovery.” “Thank you for my recovery.” “Thank you for my recovery.” “Thank you for my recovery.” “Thank you for my recovery.”
And, one day, you will be saying, “Thank you for my full recovery.” Each day, day after day, you will be building your full recovery with many “Thank you for my recovery” affirmations.
Every piece of the puzzle is significant in building the puzzle, completing the puzzle, and keeping the completed puzzle fully complete forever.
Each piece of the recovery filled with “Thank you for my recovery” is significant in building the full recovery, completing the full recovery, and keeping the full recovery complete forever.
You can do this!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Thanks Howard 🙂
Symptoms are changing. For 2 to 3 days doing the jumper cable in the past week or so my left arm and leg was jumping around like no tomorrow to a point I had to stand up to continue my 5 minutes exercise! That area has settled down now but I’m finding it’s working my neck now to a point it feels like a blockage! As the going gets tough the tough keep going, I won’t stop until I’m symptom free! Thinking of you all winning! 😊😊😊😊 Thanks Howard
Thank you Howard. I pray that each of my fellow warriors will see a beautiful picture of hope and the promise of healing in your puzzle picture today!
Marie in SC
I experienced something this week that impressed upon me that even a piece of junk has the potential to be lovely, providing that I adjust my view of it. It was seeing a discarded drawer in literally a new light. The drawer is in one of the gardens next to mine, which is used as a dump. Every day I open my blinds and see a pile of rubbish. It’s depressing. Except, a couple of days ago, the sun was shining directly on this drawer and transforming the wood with a honey glow and I thought, that’s beautiful! It gave me hope that the ugly drawer of Parkinson’s might be concealing a golden nugget.
If I’m looking at recovery as a puzzle, I examine some of the pieces and think, they don’t belong in my puzzle; they must have got mixed up with someone else’s jigsaw. Like, who would expect rigidity, anxiety, depression, pain, immobility and uncontrolled movement to be the building blocks of a better life? But under Howard’s ‘Thank you for my recovery’ shorthand for everything happening in one’s life, they can be and they ARE because they are meant to be in the puzzle for a reason. It’s true that when you’re doing a puzzle one piece at a time, you can’t see the bigger picture until every piece is in place (you just have to trust that hunting down bits of blue, say, will eventually reveal a blue coat, like trusting that doing the Recipe is accomplishing its not-yet-visible job of repair).
I like the way that Howard differentiates recovery from full recovery to drive home that even though we are not symptom-free, we are nevertheless in a continuous process of healing and getting nearer to our goal of complete recovery from Parkinson’s disease.
The image on the lid of MY puzzle is of me walking through a wonderful open space with my arms raised in gratitude to God.
What I like about this post from Howard is that it shuts down our pesky judgmental mind! Everything gets the same treatment: Thank you for my recovery!!
At least that’s how I judge it…
Love to all,
Chris
Walking on a pathway that leads into one direction is not a wishful thinking. It is a target that needs to be attained. It is a strong desire for an overall improvement of ourselves! I/We deserve it! All miniscule PUZZLES seem now sooo important and powerful to me!! We are now even closer to God too! THANKS HOWARD for devoting and giving yourself! I Love you! 🙂
Thank you for my recovery.
Thank you for my recovery.
Thank you for my recovery.
Thank you for my full recovery!
I have been working on my puzzle for more than 18 months and there are still some pieces missing. I will not give up until I have completed the healing puzzle of my picture.
Thanks Howard for your motivational support.
Hi everyone, writing on behalf of my mother, 68, who is pursuing a drug-free approach to her PD management and looking for other like-minded individuals. Thank you, and much strength and light to everyone.
Good morning dear friends.. my neck muscles is also giving me a hard time, but will continue doing the recovery exercises till symptoms free with Mr Howard’s positivity and encouragement be able to fit the pieces of the puzzle with God’s blessings . Have a great weekend..🙏🏼
Thanks Howard for the timely advice.
Everything sounds great until the voice in my head butts in for a moment then l am “swimming with fear.” Faith and trust in God is what I lack…Sigh…
Love to all
Maree
Thanks Howard for inspiring analogy
Thank you Howard. This is a tough path we are on but with faith we can emerge into the light. Keep fighting and believing. I saw my neurologist last Monday for my annual check. I was dreading it as I thought he may undermine my efforts, which caused anxiety. He actually said that after one year drug free and 13 months of the recipe I had not got worse. I still declined his drug offer. I thought my recent symptoms have been bad meaning I am getting better. In the words of Meatloaf and Jim Steinman “I can see paradise by the dashboard light”. Love to all.
Thank you Howard! I love that! It is very simple and very profound. I add one more after that, I am healed and have my full recovery by faith!!
Much love to all,
Ola
Like Justin B’s mother I do not take meds to Parkinson, just follow Howard as well as others modalities of Qigong. Love the analogies that Howard uses and his positivity is contagious.
Thank you Howard for always being there for us
Thank you Mr Howard.. you are so inspirational and positive, with God’s blessings, I am feeling a little better with neck rigidity .. thank you for your advice . Will keep on doing the recipe till I see the light at the end of the tunnel . Love and blessings.🙏🏼