“It isn’t how much time you spend somewhere that makes it memorable: it’s how you spend the time.” David Brenner
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” Gustave Flaubert
A Simple, Monotonous Lifestyle Works with Parkinson’s: From my perspective, having Parkinson’s means staying in control of your life and being aware of what’s happening each day. While you may not always be in control, at least you know what’s going on. That says to me, no unplanned special events and no spectacles; thus, the moments are like a melody of harmonious notes and not some disjointed and whimsical song.
“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.” Earl Wilson
Vacation Matters: Vacation is distinctly different from your normal day, right? Your mind, your body may well be in a different zip code and time zone.
Occasionally, when you lose this uniformity in your lifestyle from a vacation, you may unravel, instead of the expected release into a state of glorious happiness and relaxation. You already know this- vacation is meant to untie those knots in your brain, not tighten them further. However, vacation time is rarely that gentle slope reserved for beginner skiers.
My good friend, Joost from the Netherlands, once told me that you need 3 weeks of vacation time to adjust and reorient yourself, and priorities: Week 1, you are still in work mode and mindset; Week 2, you are beginning to relax, and thoughts of work have faded; Week 3, you have achieved relaxation and have distance between you and work, what is work? You are now ready to return to work, relaxed and re-energized.
“Vacation: a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need.” Jerry Smith
8 Tips for Handling Parkinson’s on Vacation: Since I’m already retired, and almost every day could be considered a vacation, normal days and vacations are still very different. Thus, here are 8 relatively simple suggestions for managing life with Parkinson’s while on vacation. Clearly, these are not ‘rocket science’ types of suggestions, but from dealing with my own mini-crises during various trips away from home :
- Do not forget to sleep.
- Try not to overeat.
- It may defy a typical vacation mandate, but a well-timed nap can still work (the old axiom “When in Rome…” may not apply here).
- Sadly, Parkinson’s is NEVER on vacation. You must remain vigilant in managing dopaminergic therapy because of it.
- Some monotony from your normal life may help restore an imbalance during vacation time.
- Although you are on vacation, try to follow the “20/10 min rule “ where for every 20 minutes you sit, get up and do something for 10 minutes. Your body will say thanks, while your Parkinson’s will despise you. A win-win scenario.
- You may be around people not familiar with someone with Parkinson’s. If your disorder is acting up, it’s ok, don’t be alarmed by their stares. If they approach you and ask, “ Is everything ok?” Simply say, “Yes, thanks for being concerned, I’m just having a tough moment managing my Parkinson’s disease. It will be better very soon, but thank you again.” (Or something like this.)
- Remember, our life is not limitless; however, free your mind and treat each vacation day as joyfully endless. You have earned the time away, even if Parkinson’s must accompany you.
And let’s end with #9 as a question: What would be in your 8 tips to follow on vacation?
Whether you travel to the next county or the farthest country you can imagine, enjoy the time away, the different people you will meet, the variety of sights you may visit, and the time spent with your family/friends/loved ones as your travel companions.
You can take a person on vacation, but not away from Parkinson’s, which is an unwelcome thorn. Regardless, enjoy your trip, relax, and fret less about Parkinson’s.
“It’s never too late, for with a purpose, a worthy goal and a motivation to reach those upper layers on the pyramid, a person can travel further in a few years than he might otherwise travel in a lifetime.” Earl Nightingale
Cover photo from Frank C. Church
Journey with Parkinson's 