How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning With Parkinson’s?

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Meister Eckhart

“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” Bernard Williams

A Beginning: On April 30, 2015, I posted the blog “How Do You Feel When You Wake Up Each Morning?” (Click here to read it). Essentially, I quickly inventory myself each morning before leaving the bed. Nothing has changed; after some sleep, I can feel a slight tremor in my right arm first thing in the morning. As I continued to stretch, the joints, the tendons, and ligaments with bones all connected continued to move, reaching out into the space above the bed. Lengthening my body by stretching out toward the ends of the bed provides an awareness of my surroundings. Now, it’s time to open my eyes and begin the day. My daily inventory task of me has not changed since I first wrote the blog mentioned above.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” Marcus Aurelius

The Morning: I do like the above quote attributed to Marcus Aurelius. It can ring so very true that I am now 70 and have woken too many mornings without the knowledge of Parkinson’s than the past decade or so. But as I arise each morning, after completing my physical inventory, the burden we call Parkinson’s is immediately felt. The life force that allows me to walk, breathe, and move from room to room has been altered. However, for many mornings since my diagnosis, I feel almost normal in those first few hours after sleeping and waking up. I think about the ‘precious privilege’ of being alive.

“Every day may not be good… but there’s something good in every day” Alice Morse Earle

That First Cup of Coffee: I still smell coffee coming off the Keurig, falling into the coffee mug. I still savor the first cup as I contemplate, no, as I rebuild my resistance to the existence of my Parkinson’s. Although I must add that the layers of resistance have faded somewhat with time, that first cup of coffee reminds me that you remain as you were once before the diagnosis; resilience matters, and persistence still helps each day as it begins. And I also remind myself, “Hey you, you can still smell coffee brewing. That must be some good sign, right?”

“love the life you live. live the life you love.” Bob Marley

Living Your Life: Bob Marley said it so well, as quoted above. For many of us, Parkinson’s has robbed us of the life we lived and loved. It changed everything. But life was still there when I wrote about it in 2015, and it is still here this morning. That does mean that I am still here, counted for and still contributing, still learning about the evilness of the illness named Parkinson’s. I may require a fair amount of medication during the day. However, it promotes a stalemate, allowing me to exercise and play golf. This disorder may be slowly altering my existence, but my brain, my thoughts, my feelings, and my actions/reactions to Parkinson’s remain intact. My will to resist persists.

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” Eleanor Roosevelt

New Money, Hopefully, New Findings on Parkinson’s: I remind us frequently in this blog that hope is an excellent ally to carry with you in the battle against Parkinson’s. To increase those rays of hope, the U.S. Congress created the “National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.” (Click here to read more about it)

Recently, we lost former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson in 2021. Senator Isakson, following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s, served for many years as Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease. He remained committed to finding more federal funding for Parkinson’s. Thus, this federally-funded mandate possibly originated several years ago from committee work by Senator Isakson’s caucus. This is not to diminish great folks like the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, and many others who worked very hard to create/promote this bill, directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a project to prevent and cure Parkinson’s.

My hope remains firmly situated that somewhere, someday, someone will unravel the complex layers of Parkinson’s. Just like we peel an onion to reach its essence, I hope that one day, the most salient inner process or mechanism for Parkinson’s will be described, providing a path to slow its progression and renew our lives again. All of the good/bad news on Parkinson’s is astutely and expertly presented by Dr. Simon Stott in his blog, “The Science of Parkinson’s” (click here), and his frequent tweets about Parkinson’s (@ScienceofPD).

“My future starts when I wake up every morning.” Miles Davis

Your World Starts New When You Get Out of Bed Today: Sleep will not cure your Parkinson’s, yet a few hours of sleep allows the toxins to drain from your brain and permit a fresh start to your daily life. Amid your daily battle against Parkinson’s, let there be a conscious and concerted effort to share your discomforts. For in the earliest moments of the morning, you may find yourself more alive and refreshed than when you went to sleep the night before.

“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” Robert Kiyosaki

Happy Holidays Everyone! Now, Where is that First Cup of Coffee? I woke up early this morning to wish everyone a most joyous holiday season. And before I could get to this point, I read my old blog on “How do you feel when you wake up each morning?” leading to this blog post. 

It is Christmas morning, and I have much to feel blessed for. Yet, before unwrapping presents and eating food later today, I left my bed this morning armed with knowledge, renewed strength, and invigorated by hope, ready to wage the daily battle against Parkinson’s. Keep all of those you care about and love closer to your heart, especially now during the holiday season. And I wish you and your family the Happiest of Holidays. Now for that cup of coffee.

“Many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.’ Yes, evil often seems to surpass good. But then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. One morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. And so I must still have hope.” Vincent Van Gogh

Cover Photo Image by lmaresz from Pixabay