I wrote a post a few days ago titled: When all you have is luck... but then you loose hope for luck.
Yesterday was a transformational day based on the inspirations I received from this forum and also on Facebook. I thought I would past by FB post for you all to see:
Yes my friends you have seen the log correctly! Today I ran 2.4miles!!
I was taught something by my wonderful parents... you have a choice to get off your arse and get on with life or give up and let it roll over you.
When I was a chubby little kid back in Leeton who copped the everyday crap we all did whilst growing up (they call it bullying now and it is much more harmful the way kids do it today) (I was pretty chubby back then) my old man took me running with him at 6am in the morning. His approach was .... "take it on chin, there is some truth to it, regardless, you do something about it for yourself and not for anyone else".
He also gave the me opportunity to work like a man from the age of 11 in the family business in Leeton. Mum would worry about my ability to handle these challenges and her support and nurturing help me develop a resilience to the challenges Pop put in front of me.
Throughout my life I have used those lessons. The support of many of you in the past day reactivated those deep instincts... I was letting the disease run over me. Your support gave me some the needed resilience. So what did I do?
Without much thought, I got up today and before lunch went for a very short jog...a very slow job. Not running like a athlete as I had started to do in 2002-2006 instead running like a man determined to 'Delay the Disease' (a quote from my friend David Zid).
The sun was out, water was wet, the sky was blue I got of my arse and went for it ...what about you? The difference between today and yesterday = inspiration, living in the moment, not over thinking things. The result = I FEEL GREAT. Running is actually easier than walking which is nice reality of the disease for me.
For those of you who don't know much about Parkinson's at this point in the disease I basically have no ability to produce my own dopamine. What running does is take those last few neurotransmitting cells and create dopamine and I now have the side effect of too much dopamine -- oh what a feeling.
I won't run like a man destined for the Boston marathon as I once did but I will run every other day. I will live in the moment that my heal strikes the ground and enjoy the sound it makes. I choice to have the disease on my terms; the disease doesn't have me.
Thanks for reading and helping. I will probably put running updates on twitter, you can follow @nospringsaussie if you like. CHEERS