My Second Anniversary of Avalanche Day: 25 Thoughts and Related Learning for Life 2 Years into the Diagnosis

Birthdays are special. People celebrate us and rejoice that we're alive another year. We get presents. We're treated like the King or Queen of the World. I"m not an exception to being down with this kind of treatment.

My nephew Dylan can't wait to celebrate his birthday on October 4th. He'll be 5. Because my parents will be away for his birthday, they are choosing to have his celebration early on the 29th, so when my wife and I finish selling (hopefully lots) of copies of my books at Selma Mansion's National Haunting Day, we'll celebrate with him.

Thinking of that, I ask what would you do with a second birthday? I know what Dylan did with his.

Would you get a bouncy house, a clown, and an ice cream cake? Hit all the free meal places? Make everyone sing to you about how special you are? There are so many options. Where to begin?!!

Unfortunately, that's not a real world option for most people since we are only given one.

The only example that I know of people getting 2 birthdays is when people are wounded seriously in defense of our country. Here, military people who are injured and by all reasonable calculations should have died (i.e. "how did you get out of this? You must have a guardian angel looking after you."), get what's called an "Alive Day." They get a chance to celebrate being alive after they make peace with death or wake up long after the event to say,"What happened here?" 

I don't want 1 of those. I don't want 1 for anyone. That said, I respect the sacred nature of sacrifice in that loss to let in influence, but keep it separate from my own because mine wasn't about cheating death; it was about not inviting death to come to me.

For me, I didn't suffer my injury while defending country / way of life, but just like many people of all ages, I got hit with my a brutal landslide of "welcome to the word Parkinson's" news on September 27, 2016. After waking up the next day, I knew I would never be the same again.

For this, like anyone else who has a life-changing event, we pick ourselves up and start new. It's like a new life in a video game, except we still have baggage from the last life to sort through. The difference is that we get a new perspective on life.

I call this day "Avalanche Day" since it represents being knocked down by a ferocious train that lacks any and all respect for what it wipes out. We can choose to be buried, or we can choose to shake it off. It's our choice. What we do with our extra time and learning is our choice.

This could be any medical diagnosis. This could be the moment someone needed to leave an abusive relationship, quit drugs, go back to school, or get out of town rather than end up dead like all those around said person. It doesn't matter. We need to be prepared to deal with life's hardships, or... 

The Not So Good Place.

When it's done, you either clear off the snow and ice, or you freeze to death.

Mountain climber Cory Richards chose to climb out and clean himself off in order to live. What he didn't know when he took the above picture was that he'd battle some serious crap after shaking clear of the physical impediments to find a whole lot of mental ones. I recommend googling him. There's a lot of great stuff out there to include videos.

Because Richards' story was current at the time of my diagnosis, I reflected on this story and chose to make it something personal to me. Had I been watching NASCAR, I might have called this something related to a vehicular accident. Nevertheless, I'd like to think that, like Richards, we can get up after an avalanche (whether on our own or with help). We probably wouldn't get up if we were hit by something moving as fast and physically heavily as a freight train. Like Richards (who suffers from PTSD), we will have our demons, but our question is whether they will have us.

Who's giving who the Rock Bottom is very important.

Having the option to choose positive after negative news is a powerful thing. What will we do with the situation we've been given? Who will we become? Will we fade away, burn out, hold strong, or will we somehow become more powerful, like some Ben Obi-One Kenobi as he was struck by Darth Vader's clumsy light saber attack in the first Star Wars.

In the end, it's all about the Jedi training. No matter what battle we are going to face (bad grades, breakups, getting fired, getting a pimple on prom night, not being bought a pony), we need to wire ourselves to be stronger or...

The Not So Good Place.

That might seem like all or nothing, but winner take all battles usually are.

Because of that I'm different than when my diagnosis was confirmed.

I've changed from last year, too, for better and for PD making me a little less.

However, this is me today:

New years give time to reflect... here are my 25 things that Parkinson's taught me this year.

1. Love is a good thing. Family, friends, co-workers, random strangers, and Facebook acquaintances. We need one another in different ways. Share the happy. Be excellent to one another. Good people are all around. Just open your eyes. Encourage the fight and the joy when you get there.

2. Humor is a good thing. It's bad enough bradykinesia takes our smile and our melodious voice, but our sense of humor, too? No way. 

Case in point: a few weeks ago, my wife was doing the pet me on the head like a dog thing (I like it - I call it a brain massage), but I had to warn her about getting close to my ear, especially my left one. It's very sensitive to sounds (ice shaking around in glasses, crinkling potato chip bags) and touch. There went my brain massage. The next day we went to the Lehigh Valley Zoo. There, we chose to feed the lorikeets. The rules are simple. You hold a cup of nectar out, birds land and take it all in, you don't touch them, and life is good. Well, after finishing off the cup, the bird went for my ear and stayed there! If God / the Universe doesn't have a sense of irony, I don't know who does. As the volunteer tried to talk the bird off my ear (it didn't work), my wife and everyone laughed while I had a once in a lifetime experience with a bird enamored with eating my earwax.

And yes, I could feel myself doing the Parkinson's stiff forearm shake and scrunched up face as it all went down.

3. Parkies, while potentially having the PD seed in us from birth, lived for a while before the stuff came down. My main symptoms began in 2011, but I remember rigidity since the mid 1980s. That leaves us in a unique predicament of accepting diagnosis, recognizing disability, and fighting off the feeling of being "disabled" (a linguistic / self worth / health condition that comes with additional baggage and greater lack of independence for many people). The good people of Health Union let me write a great article about THIS and staying active. My point is that our disability and life issues are different, though we should stand for one another. Some people, instead, will see our accomplishments as the results of a good day or come with a warning to wait for the bad stuff (as opposed to advising on how to get through the bad stuff). On my GRR days, I'll go off about not letting people be a psychic vampire on who we still are and what we can do. On other days, I'll think about how our accomplishments are special, how talking tough about Parkinson's is a mantra to stay positive (remember - the Not So Good Place). Besides, if the first years are "easier" and people aren't able to accept their diagnosis to fight it, how will they ever comfort themselves in the "harder" years? To me, it has to be about that attitude. For that, I choose to be a Parkinson's warrior.

4. Time is a wasting, but we're not on a timeline (though some things that we love are: driving, working, dunking on Lebron). Fulfill your bucket list. Never stop finding things to sneak in there. Up next for me is taking my nana to the Vatican in January (in the form of a picture since she died in 1993). My wife and I will be doing Italy for its architecture, art, history, romance, and culture, but when we go to the Epiphany mass and Necropolis, she'll be there in spirit. I think she would have wanted this.

5. HANGRY - it's a combination of hungry and angry (as coined by my wife - she can feel it coming in me - yes, it is that palpable). It's also my evil nemesis in the game of Parkinson's emotional overload and irritability. Simply put, when Dan gets hungry, he gets really grouchy. It's not him; it's the PD griping. Warnings have been established, but in the brave new world of future issues prevention, a snack basket will be assembled. Dan has many other little irritabilities that cause these problems. He's working on it. It's in progress.

6. Not to sound like Nelly, but it's always hot in here (Not just getting hot). This is the first time that I'm going to say it, but I'm glad autumn is here and summer is over. Pennsylvania humidity is awful since I have hyperhydrosis from my Parkie engine running hot. To put it into perspective, my neck hump has been so hot this year that I feel like I could have cooked eggs on it.

7. My Parkinson's gait is establishing itself pretty solidly. I support myself getting out of the car, and I feel like I have a cement boot on my left foot. I seem to sway more, side to side (no Angel's Landing walks for this guy (see above - definitely not my video)). Also, my dystonia seems to be moving to my right foot. Both of my hands have been claws for ages, but it's not pro-wrestler cool. Some days, I feel the slowness in my joints... gone are the 80 word a minute days of typing. But still I type and write because I can. Nevertheless, my friend sciatica knows its way to the house. It has a key and can let itself in.

8. Yes, Parkinson's comes with politics: Stem cell research, access to healthcare, access to insurance, lifetime insurance spending caps, legalizing marijuana, disability rights + payments, making medical decisions, euthanasia, funding research, standards for healthcare, and affordable medicine. Partisan politics is not politics. It's hating people because they aren't your narrow identity of what your party should be. The politics of Parkinson's largely represents what we need for ourselves and our communities. It sounds kind of selfish, but really, it's about keeping us and our families / friends alive. I'm not here to tell you how to advocate since that's not my job, but I will say that we need to provide safe, compassionate treatment for people with Parkinson's / related disorders. We need to find a way to get better, and we need to be there for one another. Many people are 1 issue voters, and that's their right, but I will say that Parkinson's has me considering my beliefs in a more compassionate way than before. I'm sure it has affected many of you in the same manner. I'm glad to be alive, and I'd like to keep it that way.

9. On that note, my hemp oil experiment has been moving along. It's hard to tell what effect it has yet, since it's early, but between that and going back to Amantadine, things are getting better. I will continue to stay on it for the bottle and evaluate fully.

10. I recently began therapy with Mike. We had one session. He solved me. The End. Not so much, but we started talking about things like identity. Up next is how to avoid Parkinson's irritability, overload, and purring like a cat. Truth be told, he seems like a good guy.

11. I had a neurological baseline test done to tell me what my neurological and mental functioning is like. In the end, I think it did more to show just how "off" I can get when impossible problems are thrown out at me. Some of it was a fun kind of challenge. Other parts were worse than a spinal tap since they felt unsolvable and endless (6 hours on the test, 2 more on patient history). I'll get into a lot of detail with this when I get the results.

12. My newest symptom is drooling in my sleep. It's not nearly as cool as when Homer Simpson does it, but I have officially added that to the list minus the donuts!

13. A fair bit of people complain about their doctors. Not me. My doctor gets it, and I've been more than satisfied with my treatment from him. If you're near Reading, Pennsylvania, let me know, and I'll give you his info so that he can help you, too.

14. Working and disability and all that good stuff: I'm still capable of so many things, except when my symptoms get messed with. Two trips to the hospital took a big toll on me from Christmas to today. This led to getting investigated in sleep and swallow studies, which isn't a lot of fun either. It's like everywhere we early stages Parkies go, we have people wanting to give us another condition. At some point, it gets overwhelming. I understand that moment of wanting to say, "Screw you guys. I'm going home."

However, when we're getting told what we also have and being looked at as "the shaking person with the slow brain" when it comes to finding financial stability in the form of a job, it's really frustrating. That said, the disability process is a long, arduous one. Through it all, we try to be us, but we're fighting a lot of symptoms people don't see. I think you all get how contradictory and befuddling this whole thing is.

15. The only things I'm telling you that you HAVE TO DO:

A) Start figuring out who will LEGALLY make the medical decisions while you have time.
B) Stay loose and as active (and safe) as possible to cut down on the rigidity.
C) Find positive interests you like doing to replace ones you lose.
D) Figure out your financial future with organizations, advocates, and family.
E) Put positive messages anywhere you can to drive yourself forward.
F) Reward yourself for your victories, no matter how small, big, or fleeting.
G) Find a way to still love and be loved. Nothing ticks off Parkinson's worse than a truly "We're not gonna take this" attitude.

16. Nobody has a monopoly on sadness or grief in this Parkinson's game. With that said, sometimes, we're the ones who have to be tough for those around us. Work to get through the rough times by being there for others. Our strength, smile, and desire to be go further than you can imagine.

17. I was going to die before I had Parkinson's. I'm still going to die with Parkinson's. A lot of us worry what the end will be. A fall? Dinner with a serial killer like aspiration pneumonia? Something with dementia? While we're all wrapped up in the King Kong and Godzilla of tomorrow, we stop thinking about today and enjoying ourselves. If we don't choose to live out loud now, we'll lose a lot of time where we could have done things. The truth is we don't know how or when or why we'll shuffle off this mortal coil when the time comes. I only hope my time has nothing to do with The Nun.

18. On that note, in between writing my next fiction novel (Ascensions), I still find myself working on my Parkinson's book, Real Life Monsters, which details what we face and how a positive mindset and a good support team go a long way to conquering the bad guys. Art is a great way to get our message out there. Draw, paint, write, sing, dance, whatever. Just get those creative juices flowing. Before you know it, you'll give birth to something uniquely you. With that, you'll find that giving life gives life meaning. Really.

19. All of this collective Parkinson's and related conditions crap we're going through has to be for something. If it isn't, it's all just a slow motion torture film. I don't want to think of my life in that way, so if I can share my story or encouragement with anyone, I'm going to do it. Even if I only affect one person, it's still one person who can change his or her life and the life of others. Positivity: pass it on.

20. I saw this sticker on a car. Yes, it's for autism, but it says a lot about lacking empathy and not understanding people, as well as what picture we need to paint to make up for it. It also shows love because we care about the well-being of those we love. It's not easy to "get" other people. We're challenging. We have baggage. You can't delete us if you don't like us. You have to communicate face to face with us. It's harder when our problems come with something we can't control and that hurts / irritates you. Yes, some things are harder to face than others, but by learning about other people, not just looking at our own little stable of perfect / wonderful contacts, we see that there is more than 1 way to do things. I'm working on this.

21. Heroes are a good thing. Take this story, for instance. Somewhere in the middle of a whole debate about who should endorse athletic wear, someone got lost. That man's name is Shaquem Griffin. Nike signed this man to endorse what's possible when a man with one arm wants to play pro football. Yes, he's having growing pains and isn't currently starting, but he needed to ramp his game up at every level. After being told he was "too heavy" to play in a football game as a kid, his coach challenged the other coach whose real reason to keep Griffin off the field was that he felt that only people with 2 hands should play football. Shaquem's response at that young age was to feel like that coach saw him:

“Like I was defective or something. Like I didn’t belong. And that was the moment I realized I was always going to have to prove people wrong.”

However, now he puts it more directly and empowering as he says:

“I feel like all the boys and girls out there with birth defects — we have our own little nation, and we’ve got to support each other.”

It makes me want to watch the Seahawks, and I don't even like football!

22. Now that I'm back on the Amantadine, my tremors are improving. I'm also dreaming more. They're doing that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thing. As long as I don't go back to fighting to escape the Holocaust, I'm good. No sign of livedo reticularis or itchiness at this point. Oh, and the Himalayan salt lamp helps a lot.

23. If it's fall, then I need to be getting some nature therapy hiking between the trees! You should, too. Remember National Parks passes are free to people with permanent disabilities.

24. While my official diagnosis day is November 1, 2016, I knew as soon as my doc called it on September 27, 2016. November 1st was anticlimactic. It's just the day I started blogging. Most of my everyday life friends knew by then, too, since we spoke. The tests were just about having an official diagnosis to be 100% certain about it (well, non-autopsy certain). From that day, being out has led me to write for you, the Parkinson's community, the world as a whole, my family, and myself. It's an honor to be able to have posts that have been read 2-3000 times (if not more - in one case, almost 6,000 - 25 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT PARKINSON'S SINCE I WAS DIAGNOSED). Having taught English until last May, blogging allows me to do what I love (writing, researching, explaining, and encouraging people to rewire themselves into the best possible person that they can be). It's an honor to do that for you today. Thanks for sticking with my post!

If you want to read my HEALTH UNION POSTS, CLICK HERE.

25. Recommended reading:

When Bad Things Happen to Good People - Harold Kushner
Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl
Deep Survival - Laurence Gonzales
Surviving Survival - Laurence Gonzales
Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Aron Ralston
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are - Dr. Seuss
Lucky Man - Michael J. Fox
In Love and War - Admiral James Stockdale

Congratulations Chloe and Halee on Your Life Choices OR Strong Women (People) Choose to Live Life No Fear and Journey to Greatness

"We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return, prepared to send back our embalmed hearts only as relics to our desolate kingdoms. If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again—if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man—then you are ready for a walk." THOREAU

It was roughly 10 years ago on Memorial Day weekend 2008 that I met my future nieces Chloe and Halee for the first time. Since that point, much has changed in both of their lives. Chloe went from our flower girl to going hiking with me at Glen Onoko waterfalls world to spending this summer, the summer between 11^th and 12^th grade in her northern Ohio life, as an intern in a veterinary clinic in Georgia. Halee went from a smiley gymnast to James Madison University in Virginia, where she discovered her passion of helping other people and participating in more extreme outdoor pursuits. In September, she truly leaves her Ohio roots and her standardized future for the world of Cameroon in Africa, to work with the Peace Corps for 27 months.

As a middle-aged uncle, I couldn’t be more proud of these young women seizing the bull by the horns to live life full on.

In life, I have encountered many young gals who took their opportunities and chose to be great. I think of my student Ashley, who spent a decade doing missionary / medical work in Guatemala. I think of another gal I taught last semester who worked selling merchandise with the Ice Capades. While that doesn’t sound exotic, think about it like this. She got to travel North American to experience a continent and meet new people. Pretty cool for a “routine” job, methinks.

Additionally, I knew many professional young women who went into the Air Force, completed basic training, and went on to be leaders in their fields. They took the opportunity to be great, and they ran with it for Air Force success. There are too many of these women to name only a few.

Then there were others who found the Air Force wasn’t for them. After it was over, they went on to do other things. I think of my friend “Jude,” whose multicultural background of being from multinational parents (English and American) opened her perspective up to be who she was meant to be. Now, she travels here, there, and everywhere for her job. Too cool!

Maybe they had concerns and fears, but they put them aside to be something more. Much of their success was in different locations far from their birthplace. Some of them had a birthplace, but were military “brats.” They went where they were meant to be. Here, I think of Nicki and Sky, who I met in a pediatrics clinic outside Woodbridge, England. At this point, their parents’ lives exist in post-Air Force days, but for Nicki, her opportunities are changing as her own family moves from Alaska to the southwest so she can change her career. Sky is now a professional in Montana, a place that looks nothing like Ipswich, England.

Other young girls have grown to be strong role models as women. My wife is 2 weeks away from starting a new job in education’s support world. Twelve years ago, she moved 8 hours to Pennsylvania to start a new life here. Today, we have been married almost 9 years, and her strength as the hardest-working woman I know (and best caregiver) has allowed her to be stronger than she ever knew she could be in tough situations. My mom and sister also grew with their life’s opportunities and challenges (as did my other family). Heather’s sisters grew with their challenges as well. Additionally, opportunities and moves and desire made them who they are. Heather’s sister Stephanie, for instance, recently moved from Toledo to Elkins, Georgia, to raise her daughters after her husband Steve retired there. New places can be scary, as can being away from family, but through it all, she continues to fulfill her life’s goal of making sure her kids can be in the right place to fulfill their talents.

The point is that life seems to offer people the standard. Granted, there is nothing wrong with staying in the same location all of our lives, but what if we have the chance to do more, why not? 

Additionally, heroes are generally sports stars or entertainers. When they’re historic figures, we usually look for the extreme, like Malala taking headshots for fighting for a woman’s right to be educated.

But it doesn’t have to be that way (though she's a next-level awesome person to follow).

In my life, I went into the Air Force looking to be stationed at bases no further than about 5 hours from home. I wanted to be close to old friends. I got Dover, Delaware. Then, a gal asked me to trade it for Bentwaters, England. She wanted to be with her husband. I told her I’d think about it. I had no overseas bases on my list. I had no clue where it was. One hour later, I took the opportunity. 

I never looked back.

Had I not taken it, I would have never met a lot of great people I still stay in touch with. Here, I think of Will and Heidi, whose Florida family is pretty much my extended family. Here, I also think of Trudy, who I shared a life with before and after the Air Force. Her family, my British family, opened their lives to me, both during and after our time together. Had it not been for our time together at the “College of Bury St. Edmunds,” I wouldn’t have come back to America to teach. I wouldn’t have grown into a better person (eventually), so I could get it right with my wife, which is where I was always meant to end up. I’m sure Trudy finds that our time made her life with her husband and sons possible, too. After all, that's where she was always meant to be.

The point is that opportunities come for everyone, regardless of gender. I watch movies like A Walk in the Woods and think about how Bill Bryson’s late life crisis is to walk the Appalachian Trail. He sets out and tries. He doesn’t make it, but he can. In 2013, I set out to do the Standing Stone Trail. I did about 20 of the about 75 miles of the trail before I went out on blisters. I tried, and I learned. That opportunity meant a lot.

Opportunities can mean something to everyone. Gals can and do kick butt on the Appalachian Trail. They can and do compete in all fields. It just comes back to finding heroines and support in what they do, no matter what that is. We need to be that support.

Right now, I encounter a lot of great women leading extraordinary lives in all that they do, especially helping people with Parkinson’s or other disabilities. We need more caring and compassionate people in these fields since there's a lot of us out here waiting for the cure (LIKE ME!) or simply to obtain palliative care.

Imagine if only men were encouraged to go out and do something beyond the standard!

Nevertheless, going back to where we began, I see Halee and Chloe beginning to be the kind of people who will end up in Amy Poehler’s MIGHTY GIRL world.

Rock on, ladies! You got this.

And guys… take your opportunities to grow, too. Stagnation is the enemy. Next year, Liam (pictured below) will get his shot to be the post high school him. He needs inspiration from your success (not that he won't find it on his own, but he still could use some trail builders showing him what's out there).

Remember, at some point, your opportunities might stop. What will your story be then? In the same manner, for those who took the opportunities, share the knowledge you gained. Here, I’m so glad I drove cross country several times. I feel everyone should have this opportunity to see what's out there in the world. After all, it's your oyster. That's why I write this and other essays.

Here’s to an awesome future to all of you.

One last note...

At some point in the life of this post, I will have my 100,000th visit to my blog. On September 27th, I was given 90% odds of having Parkinson's. The next morning, I chose to take a journey into education and advocating if that diagnosis proved true.

It did, and I did. I haven't looked back. I have nothing to lose. Parkinson's is already in the house, and we know what happens when a vampire gets "invited" in. My goal is still educating, advocating, finding a cure, and staying me, all while taking my opportunities to live life. 

If you'd like to be a part of that, I'm looking for people to state the following quote ("I am here to live out loud") in some special place, where they can record it on video. Last night, I gave the first at Independence Hall in Philly. My wife gave the second at the Chinese Lantern Festival. Please private message me for more information on this opportunity. Also, please note that it will be for the World Parkinson Congress video contest.

No matter whether you contribute footage or not, I appreciate you making this journey a reality. I am very humbled by your support.

Positive Thoughts to Handle This Diagnosis

While I was in California on vacation, I received a Facebook message from a person asking for positive thoughts on coping with his Parkinson's disease diagnosis. If I had access to my trusty computer keyboard, I could have whipped up a response in no time (I've been on this for about 2 hours, but that's not much time for a writer), but I was on the road, and yeah... typing on a cellphone isn't ideal, so I went with the simple version.

In today's world, we take for granted that we have Internet access pretty much everywhere, and when we get to those connected spots, there are computers to hook up. However, this is not true, as there are still places that lack for connection in the lower 48. Most of these places are either in the desert or the mountains, but there are also sections in places like the middle California coastline (where we were), which not only don't have cellphone connection, but they also have mega expensive gas!

And yes, before I go too far, there are towns, but they are far apart because it's beautiful on the coast, and we don't need a million towns interrupting nature when we can have lots of elephant seals instead. If you're not sure what that means, see the video below.

That said, we do need clumps of civilization in between the somewhere and nowhere we encounter across this great country. In these towns that do exist, since things have to happen, we need food and supplies, and in the bigger places, there have to be hotels, motels, bed + breakfasts, souvenir shops, and amazingly enough (since they still exist), libraries.

Prior to the message, I went looking for one of these "antiquated" libraries since I only had my cellphone and Kindle with at the time, and I needed to finish my grades (the program we use for online learning isn't compatible with my phone, and it's not always WIFI ready for Kindles in other road stretches or tiny towns). Cambria (around San Simeon) was a no go, so we went to Palo Robles (inland a little bit) instead, and I graded there (much thanks for that!).

Heading for Yosemite via Angel's Camp, I wasn't thinking I would have much luck to answer this person's message, so I was unable to type a deeply meaningful and lucid response that the magnitude of the question demanded, but I did type some things, which I hope went over well.

Nevertheless, now that I do have time, I want to compile a list of things that I would want someone to tell me upon being diagnosed. Granted, I'm a stoic, and that means I need writers I don't live with telling me to tough it up and live life the best I can with the cards I'm dealt with. This also means that I'm a feeling human, so I need people who I do live with to tell me that everything is going to be all right (and I in return need to say this to them). If this sounds like a contradiction, it probably is, but it's me all the same.

Not knowing the person who wrote me, I was humbled that someone would ask my opinion. I often think of my life in terms of the things that I struggle to do right, but I'd also like to think that I have my current attitude to Parkinson's, my marriage to my wife, and my writing as things that I do fairly well. Thus, I was empowered by his request. Additionally, his request also made me want to write this better now that I'm home.

So here it is.

1) Parkinson's isn't the end of the world. Yes, it's a progressively acting neurodegenerative disease (that's a mouthful),  but it's not King Kong and Godzilla rampaging through the city today (instead, it kind of starts as a fly buzzing around your head and landing on your face every day). What does that mean? It means you have plenty of living to do; however, you have to live this life with tremors and some other conditions that most people don't know about for a while. It's not easy to put them to the side, but you can do it. I believe in you. You seem like a good person, so you have that going for you, too!

2) Yes, someday, you'll have other issues that people will notice (and you will, too), but I can't tell you when or if you'll get to all of them. Besides, if King Kong and Godzilla rampage through the city tomorrow, it's not going to matter anyway. Life is like that. Sometimes other things take precedence, and then we need to fact up to those. Besides, we can't predict the future, so get living today (as much as you can, spending time with the people who love you and that you love). There's a lot of fun things to do in all sizes, shapes, and forms.

3) Start thinking about the bucket list. Make these things happen. Yes, you are running against a clock for how long you might be able to do some things, but you're not Dostoevsky facing the intensity of coming back from the edge of life with the heavy responsibility of living each moment perfectly. Besides, there are other options for taking on pain and suffering and pessimism. With that, even if you don't like country music, you should have / could have been listening to Tim McGraw's thoughts about life as he watched Tug's final chapters. Personally, I think he's right on. Bring on Fu Man Chu.

4) You're a great person, and you're still you. The only difference is now someone has a name for your tremors or the symptoms you presented. Stop thinking about Parkinson's 24/7 (I know that sounds easy for me to say, but I'd like to believe you can leave that at home). Family, friends, job, hobbies, and commitments outweigh Parkinson's... no matter what conditions it plants between your brain and your toes. Yes, they'll all have questions, and you'll have to answer them, but you still have a lot of memories to make and gatherings to attend. Make the most of it!

5) Stay in motion. Parkinson's is all about rigidity and exhaustion. Some people rock steady box. Others go dancing. I go hiking. Whatever you do, just do it! No hobby is wrong if it keeps you active.

6) GARY PAULSEN (Hatchet author) - “He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark cave and thought of it as when he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn't work. It wasn't just that it was wrong to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that--it didn't work.” 

By the way, your middle school kids have probably read this book to wire themselves tougher.

Stoics can read this quote as, "Man up. Do what you need to do. Your survival depends on you."

Feeling people can read this quote as, "Sometimes, you're going to feel like crying or getting emotional. That's OK. Get it out, but when it's done, take a deep breath and do what you need to do. Your survival depends on you."

7) Support teams are essential. Find the people who love you and tell them what you need. Listen to their advice, give + receive praise, and work together for your betterment. Sometimes they'll get it wrong, but people genuinely mean well.

BTW - Don't badmouth them and encourage them not to badmouth you when they hate on your Parkinson's in private. There is a difference, and besides, once you start belittling the person, things never stay the same (even if the person didn't hear it).

8) Everything you have learned is what you go into this rewiring with. If you're reading this early on, you have time to change before the next avalanche hits (avalanches can be anything - they are my expression for that moment when the bad stuff hits (loss of job, relationship, sickness, accident, diagnosis, etc.). Avalanche Day is your diagnosis day). The term "avalanche" comes from the Cory Richards (below) story. If you aren't wired tough to withstand the moment, then you need to find those who are and learn from them. Whether you're a stoic or a happy go lucky person, it's all about finding calm in the storm. I recommend whatever works for you. I say that as a client of myself, not a professional trainer. This woman writes about radical acceptance. 

However, if you want to know what changed my attitude, Laurence Gonzales' Deep Survival and Surviving Survival saved my life the last time I went through a bad time in my life (2011's post school job hunt days). They outline the methods that work for me.

I also recommend Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.

9) NOTE - if I was diagnosed in 2011 when my symptoms started or early 2015 when I was misdiagnosed, I wouldn't have had the benefit of 19 extra months of looking at the lives of heroes and  role models to get myself in order. Frankly, I would have been a mess. Get yourself a hero and a code of life / philosophy / theology now. They will help carry you when you and your caregivers can't.

BTW, my numero uno hero in the world is Jackie Robinson.

Check out other cool uplifting things by some of my heroes like...

LITTLE ZEN MONKEY

MR. ROGERS

BRYAN ANDERSON 

PASS IT ON DOT COM (USED TO BE VALUES DOT COM)

Random Parkies' blogs like this one SHAKE RATTLE BE WHOLE

If you want a female or a funny or a great established blog, check out PERKY PARKIE

10) Here are some of the quotes that inspire me. Find ones that inspire you. It doesn't matter by who. Post them around the house.

11) Since you're a Parkie, you get Muhammad Ali (above), Neil Diamond (below), and Michael J. Fox and his foundation on your team!

12) When you're first learning, try to only view solid websites with real credentials like Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinsonsdisease.net when it comes to information. I could list a lot of good medical ones (NIH, Mayo Clinic, and other reputable Parkinson's orgs), but if you start looking for miracle cures R us, you're going to find them and get led astray (as well as snake oil salesmen and conspiracy nonsense on otherwise good blogs). If you go looking in chat rooms, you're going to find a million diagnoses from possible to impossible to rare to wrong. Some people know their stuff. Some want to help. If it's bugging you, see a specialist. The best thing chat rooms do is provide support that you aren't alone and allow you to make friends, while learning about the issues. For this, I recommend many of them. However, don't substitute them for doctor's advice and experience.

On that note, don't go looking for further down the line symptoms until you need to. Move into this step by step and adjust to the water's temperatures. There will be time to think about deep brain stimulation videos later.

13) Educate others, advocate for Parkinson's cures, respond kindly - don't go looking for a fight (for not using People First Language, offering help or just not knowing), document your experience, don't sit thinking the miracle cure will be here by Christmas, and live your life to the fullest! Whatever will be will be, but remember, we can be the generation to motivate a cure for the future - even if it will never be for us. For me, that is my purpose numero uno in this game of PD.

I thank you for reading this, and I hope it helps you and helps others.

Recently, I started blogging HERE at Parkinsonsdisease Dot Net. You can read my diagnosis story at that link. I encourage you to check out other bloggers there, too.

I blog regularly on my own and have a Parkinson's site on Facebook. I encourage you to like it if you would like to read more about my Parkinson's experience as well as read about me being the me that still does what the old Dan used to do before he had PD (and some new things he's learned to like since then).

Here are 2 other videos I took on vacation about my thoughts on standing up to Parkinson's.

This one is at Yosemite

This one is at Muir Woods

10 Thoughts to Change the Negative to Positive

The past few weeks at Chateau Glass have been rough. First, we've finally been getting out of the hospitalization issues (pneumonia and hypoxia) that early winter gave us and getting ready to go through the sleep apnea stuff (my machine becomes mine at 3pm today).

Then, we have the fact that every day with Parkinson's is a challenge, so yeah.

Sometimes, not even a cheesesteak can solve that.

Work has been busy for both of us, and juggling other issues of life with it, yeah... it's definitely a challenge.

With that, my wife had to have on the spot gallbladder surgery, which saw her miss 11 days of work. Yes, she's better now, but that smarts both of us (the patient, the caregiver, and the extended family support team). Fortunately, she had minimal surgery (on the left) and was in and out the same day.

Then, on Sunday, I got into a car accident that destroyed my beloved Yaris. Fortunately, both the guy driving the other truck (a Dodge Ram) and I were OK, though I'm shook up and sore on the left side. All things considered, so much of it could have been worse. My car, officially-named the Macho Dude, took the hit squarely and kept me safe. The Yaris takes a lot of abuse, but I loved mine.

Unfortunately, it "died" in order to keep me safe.

Before the accident, it gave me 251,000+ miles. My mechanic at Meineke said it owed me nothing. I would have liked 50,000 more miles, but life happens the way it does for a reason.

So I got another Yaris and went to 2016 (I had 2007), and while it's not new, it's new to me. I'm still thinking of a name for it.

We can contemplate being in the book of Jobs (see quote above) or the Book of Job (even though it's Biblical, it is taught in literature classes as well - essentially, why does the universe / God test good people with bad situations), or we can focus on the good things in life and stay as strong as possible while we work it all out.

Like I always say about my wife and me: "We'll get through. It's what we do."

If we don't stop to see our good opportunities in the midst of life, we might miss the chance to make someone else's life better.

One of my greatest do-overs in life would be to sing Christmas carols for Laney, a local girl who died on Christmas day a few years ago. Many people came to do it. It was national news. Even Taylor Swift played a part. At the time, I didn't investigate the story more because I didn't realize it was only 25 minutes away. It's a very life-affirming story, and now they have a small memorial to her gentle spirit. However, I was so caught up in me that I didn't see what I could do for someone else.

Regret, regret, regret.

So with that, I give you this week's list of things to stay half full and optimistic in spite of our own issues.

#1) Never give up an opportunity to give a real or metaphorical Toyota "Oh, what a feeling" jump when the opportunity presents itself.

#2) Get your family involved in your life. In this case, my mom did a Parkinson's walk with me a few weeks ago.

#3) Count yourself lucky when your family stands with you and supports you through tough times.

#4) Cherish your memories of family.

#5) Live vicariously through young people. Encourage, inspire, and educate them while having fun with them or supporting their fun.

#6) Look at the stars in wonder of how small whatever is in our life really is.

#7) Sit outside and let the world drift by at the fireplace.

#8) When life gives you night herons, stop to admire them and take their pictures.

#9) 1 word - massage.

#10) Take time to smell the flowers, especially the tulips, which are the official flower of Parkinson's Awareness. These pictures are from my wife's garden.