Hope, Courage, Persistence, Positivity, Mindfulness, And The Journey

“I often say now I don’t have any choice whether or not I have Parkinson’s, but surrounding that non-choice is a million other choices that I can make.”  Michael J. Fox

“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” Brené Brown

Précis: The “Journey with Parkinson’s” blog started 4 months ago (March 9, 2015), and this is the 40th posting.  Living with Parkinson’s requires you to stay positive and be persistent; it also demands courage, commitment, hope, and a strong will to succeed.  Living with Parkinson’s implies overcoming the little but troubling nuances of symptoms, accepting and growing through these changes; life’s still happening.

On Being Hopeful With Parkinson’s: Every morning we awake renews our lease on life and our battle against Parkinson’s. Stay hopeful because new understanding, treatments and knowledge are being unveiled almost weekly.  Stay hopeful that your knowledge of the disorder will create a best-deal situation of stalling progression.  We each have daily goals to achieve and obstacles to surpass. We require hope to handle the routine-life adversities from Parkinson’s. There is time, stay hopeful.
“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” Robert H. Schuller

“It’s the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee.” Nicholas Sparks

On Having Courage (Also Strength) With Parkinson’s:  We may take vacation but the symptoms of Parkinson’s slowly evolve and will never rest. Your courage and strengths, both physical and character, will be needed and used every day forward.  Brené Brown says that “Courage is to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart”; to me that says our courage and strength will shine through as our heart confronts our misfortune named Parkinson’s.
“Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.” Winston Churchill

“Do not confuse my bad days as a sign of weakness. Those are actually the days I’m fighting my hardest.” Unknown

On Being Persistent With Parkinson’s: Our most difficult life challenges could create the most significant time of our lives.  As President Coolidge remarked, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence”; this tells me we must always keep going in dealing with our disorder.  Doubtless, this is a challenging situation having Parkinson’s, but being persistent is not giving up without trying.  Staying persistent creates new options and requires courage in one’s convictions.

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.” Thomas Carlyle

“The best way out is always through.” Robert Frost

On Staying Positive With Parkinson’s: “Each day, we wear a cape on our back labeled with the letters PD (Parkinson’s Disease).  Each day we bring a positive reaction to handle our symptoms; when we begin to fade those letters, we begin to gain control of our symptoms. While it is not easy to remain positive with such a somber disorder, staying positive can help you cope. Thus, we should strive to live positively as we try to shed our cape named Parkinson’s.
“Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” William James

“When things go wrong, don’t go with them.” Elvis Presley

On Using Mindfulness (Also Gratitude And Contentment) With Parkinson’s: Being mindful brings us to dwell only on the immediate time, the current moment.  Being content says not to worry about what we don’t have, life is already good.  And being grateful, we remind ourselves now that we have much to be thankful for. Practicing mindfulness, gratitude and contentment will relieve stress, bolster our hearts, and fortify our brains; thus, enriching our response to Parkinson’s.
“Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” Randy Pausch

“Contentment is the only real wealth.” Alfred Nobel

The Journey With Parkinson’s: The song of the journey ahead for us is about living authentically in the presence of Parkinson’s.  The stumbling blocks of Parkinson’s are ever present and our journey will be up and down.  Include all of the people capable of assisting your journey.  Assemble a team able to reinforce your spirit, and enabling your best response.  Your team will follow the path of your journey, they matter in your life; and your maximum effort in this journey matters a lot.
“The journey itself is going to change you, so you don’t have to worry about memorizing the route we took to accomplish that change.”Daniel Quin

“When there is no turning back, we should concern ourselves only with the best way of going forward.” Paulo Coelho

Hope, Courage, Persistence, Positivity, Mindfulness, And The Journey: Stay hopeful. Choose courage and use compassion. Remain strong. Be persistent. Live positively. Practice mindfulness/gratitude/contentment.  Follow the journey’s path. Not directly mentioned but woven into the fabric described here: love passionately and stay informed (educated). Continue to live your life of significance. Focus on what matters the most: we’re still here. 

Cover photo credit: http://www.justwalkedby.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Crater-Lake-Sunrise-1024×665.jpg