What Parkinson's disease is not...

Beautiful Scenery

I have never been able to accept that I have Parkinson’s disease and I don’t expect I ever will. Instead, I am now able to accept what it is not and be grateful for my life as it is.

Here are some things PD is not. It is not pancreatic cancer. Or any other cancer. I think that people who have a diagnosis of cancer and face it head on daily with chemo, radiation, surgery, etc., are the bravest people I will ever know.

Parkinson’s disease is not coming back from a war in the Middle East with both legs blown off and facing the rest of your life with no legs. It is not ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is not a car accident or heart attack or terrorist bomb or hijacked plane crashing into a tower that kills a loved family member. It is none of these.

Parkinson’s disease is not a lot of things. Things that affect others.  Before PD, I never thought much about the strength shown by those affected by things much worse than PD.

Parkinson’s has enabled me to do that.

The photo was shot from the balcony of a friend's home and processed with Lightroom. . It represents something unexpected but now compelling in its own right. Much like the philosophy of this blog post.