Always On My Mind

Year one was rough.

I had not told most people about my diagnosis and, while everyone assumed things were normal, I had a constant, repetitive phrase scrolling through my head. “I have Parkinson’s.”  What I wanted most (besides a speedy cure) was for someone to tell me if this thought would ever stop echoing in my brain.

Nearly three years into my diagnosis, I can begin to answer this question.

Yes and no.

PD is ever-present in my life and is constantly giving me reminders that it’s still around. These reminders come in two forms: something my body does that I wish it wouldn’t do or, something my body does not do that I wish it could.

Despite these daily reminders, PD no longer dominates my every waking thought. Sharing my diagnosis and meeting other people with Parkinson’s, who are fighting back and living well, has helped to reclaim some of my headspace.

We all experience dark times that, while you’re in them, seem impossible to get through. For me, it was/is Parkinson’s. For others, it may be anxiety, depression, grief…

Sometimes, the best we can do is to have patience with ourselves and with others, have gratitude for the good times and, approach the bad times with as much optimism as we can muster.