“NOT I – NOT ANYONE else, can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself.” Walt Whitman
“We travel, in essence, to become young fools again – to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” Pico Iyer
Take the Bad with the Good Moments: If you have followed this blog for a while, you have discovered that a favorite place of ours to visit is Bermuda. I am not sure what features have a hold on me, whether it is the amazing color of the water around the island, the happy demeanor of those who live on the island, or the overall feel of everything about the area; it is just a compelling and beautiful place to visit.
But in some ways, I set myself up for what happened. Most of 2026 has been spent recovering and rehabilitating after my second hip replacement surgery in January. Much of this was done without being around many people. We did travel to Ponte Verde, Florida, to watch the Players’ Championship (a golf tournament) for a few days in March.
Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.'” Lisa St. Aubin de Terá
The End-Result: In the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (i.e., Charlotte airport, which is in Charlotte, North Carolina), having arrived from a short flight from Savannah, Georgia. In the open atrium area, sitting in one of their well-known white rocking chairs under a beautiful ficus tree, just people-watching. People walking by vary in shape, color, and age. So, unlike where we live in a 55+ gated community, where the average age is 72 years. I am 72, but I’ve never felt average.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta
The Situation: Why was I sitting? We were traveling to paradise, well, to Bermuda. Spent much of the day before packing and getting the office straightened up (Susan had done the rest of the house)- gotta get the house clean for our all-important cat sitter. Only the best of care for Mr. Milo and Miss ‘Ellie May’!
So I slept for a few hours (Susan even less). Woke up at 2:30 AM, got the final parts of the suitcase, and finished packing. Our ride to the airport arrived promptly at 4:45 AM. With traffic already slowing on I-95, we took the back way across the Savannah River, the two-lane road known as alligator alley. But all was well, Savannah is not a huge airport, and the TSA checkpoint was mostly smooth, except my new metallic hips were not well received by the scanner and something in my pack made them search the bag— but I neither exploded nor the bag did not implode, so we were good to go.
The flight to Charlotte was fine, especially since they offer Diet Dr. Pepper (remember, American Airlines is based in Dallas, TX- the home of Dr. Pepper). Short flight. Welcome to the bustling Charlotte airport, which is big, beautiful, and busy (at 7;45 AM too).
“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” Leigh Hunt
Crash and Burn: I had had only a few hrs of sleep. Took my first dose of Crexont at 4:00 AM (usually I take it at either 6:00 or 7:00 AM). All was well while eating breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash-browned potatoes, and toast). We sat in the bar/restaurant for a while after breakfast, then started walking. Oh my, crashing down in seconds, it felt like tumbling out of a fast-stopping roller coaster coming to a jarring halt. Found a rocking chair, took the second dose of Crexont, and since it was close to breakfast, I placed a tablet of old-fashioned Sinemet under my tongue. Susan wandered off to shop. And I got to watch airport people walk by.
As I waited for the ‘resurrection’ to occur, that is, to be back ‘on’ again, I enjoyed thinking back to all the years I’ve been in this airport, always temporary, always passing through, but with memories of the restaurants, bars, and shops.
But the serenity of the many white rocking chairs under the ficus trees always draws everyone’s attention and desire. Relaxing in one of these chairs lowers your heart rate, slows your mind, and lets you rest momentarily in the often chaotic, frenzied Charlotte airport.
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live. Hans Christian Andersen
Causes of the Event: First, I was tired, and being sleep-deprived negatively affects my daily routine of taking Crexont. We all know the importance of sleep.
Second, traveling for me is an adrenaline rush, with the need to walk around and coexist with so many travelers going in every direction. Managing the adrenaline rush, which for me, totally drained my dopamine in the tank and all of its reserves.
Third, the big breakfast certainly contributed to the difficulty of regaining control of my mind-body (please read the next blog post). Note: I mentioned I had taken my 2nd dose of Crexont (swallowing 2 capsules), along with some old-fashioned carbidopa/levodopa tablets taken sublingually. I was concerned with the effect of having just eaten a meal when taking Crexont. I realize doing this violates a rule of my dopamine therapy, taking Crexont and Sinimet together; however, I needed to regain control, and I definitely needed levodopa to be delivered to my brain.
Ultimately, the stress of the situation (I know and realize, it’s a really benign problem) caused my dopamine levels to plummet. I should have been aware of this event, but my mind was just bypassing my physiological functions, and I was daydreaming about returning to Bermuda.
“In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.” Charles M. Schulz
Recovery: Sitting down in a rocking chair in the Charlotte airport, Susan had gone shopping. I needed to calm down, breathe in, and out several times, just trying to regain control. My people-gazing, sitting, and trying to recharge my mind, and not blaming anyone else besides myself. Quickly, a calm came over me, and I felt something recharging my batteries, and control of my body and mind returned. Going from ‘off’ to ‘on’ is likely different for each of us, but the end result is a return to functionality. After 20-30 min of rocking chair sitting, we walked to our next gate to go to Bermuda.
“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” Wallace Stevens
Acceptance: We must accept the bad alongside the good moments in Parkinson’s. Why, because it’s Parkinson’s, and its boundaries are poorly inscribed in each of us. At odd times, we crash, but most of the time, we’re fine. These bad moments happen, and usually, they are not planned. Sometimes they surprise you, other times they are almost expected. But today was a shock, but the sun burned through the clouds nevertheless, and a beautiful day was growing here.
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Moral to the Story: We all have triggers that seem to create a dive down to the ‘off’ phase. Likely, these causes are all different, but the end result is a lethargic state that awaits the next jolt of Levodopa to begin working, allowing the ‘on’ and living feeling to return.
Identify your trigger points and be aware of when they may occur. The hope is that you can prevent the off dive from occurring and lessen its negative impact on you. As always, the more we learn about the negative factors that interfere with our minds and bodies, the better our lives can function from hour to hour. If not, look for the next cozy rocking chair to sit down in for a while. Happy traveling, everyone!
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again—to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” Ray Bradbury
Cover photo by Frank C. Church
Journey with Parkinson's 