Happy New Year, Happy New Decade Parkinson’s

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been” Rainer Maria Rilke

A New Year: Happy New Year everyone. I begin with a thank-you to all of the readers of this blog; it gives me great satisfaction knowing you are here. I have renewed enthusiasm for the blog this year; I look forward to writing many more stories/posts than i achieved last year. At times last year, I felt like no matter what I was doing or where I was going, my story-telling and my science reviewing kept falling behind and below a threshold that I had established for myself. Hopefully, this year I can stay ahead and achieve the kind of story that I truly want to distribute to everyone.

“New Year’s most glorious light is sweet hope!” Mehmet Murat Ildan

United by our Disorder: Here is the way I see Parkinson’s. Whether you live in the United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, or anywhere else in the world-at-large, we are united by Parkinson’s. This beast doesn’t care where you are from or who you are. This economic burden continues to pile-up for our healthcare costs. Parkinson’s is relentless, and it will never stop to take a break. Thus, no matter where we live or what language we speak, we are linked to one another by our Parkinson’s.

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.” Tom Peters

A Southern Good Luck Meal in the New Year: Maybe your family has a New Year’s Day tradition? In the southern states of the U.S., there are many traditions we follow, but one of my favorites is the New Year’s Day meal. And having this meal on New Year’s Day should give you a good, healthy, prosperous and lucky new year. The meal typically consists of black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread, and pork roast (with or without smoked hog jowls), see picture below. Yes, it is a very southern meal!

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” Abraham Lincoln

Important to Start the Year by Showing Parkinson’s You are Still in Charge of Your Life: Today was a beautiful winter day in North Carolina, brilliantly sun with a pale blue sky, in the mid-’50s (degrees F). I was able to get out to the golf driving range and practice my golf game by hitting 100-golf balls. It was essential to start the new year out on a positive slant, focused against Parkinson’s; always aware of the unwanted companion.

“He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool.” Farquhar McGillivray Knowles

Start the New Year With a Plan: I have never been someone who has a list of new year’s resolutions or even a bucket-list of things to do; I may have an internal working list buried in my mind, but none of it is written down. By contrast, I like making 1-page handouts. I call them ‘CliffsNotes’ of Frank’s blog posts (maybe you don’t remember CliffsNotes?). To begin 2020, I close with four 1-page summaries of past blog posts. The goal is to help, and hopefully, enable you to shoot out of the starting gate of 2020, way ahead of that slowly evolving menace named Parkinson’s. Happy New Year!

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.” Neil Gaiman

Cover photo credit: https://bit.ly/2QiS1Q8