I’ve learned something in the past few weeks and that is, a diagnosis of Parkinson Disease does not give us a pass for all the other troublesome details life hands us. We still have snarky teenagers to deal with, and aging parents, and even illness unrelated to PD crashes down around our ears on occasion.
It’s not fair but it is reassuring in a way. At least it confirms that we are alive and needed and useful. If life happens whether we participate or not, then we might as well live and deal with all the difficulties like ordinary people. I think, having no pass is preferable to having one, like living is preferable to just waiting. It isn’t exactly profound but it is something that we sometimes forget. So often we concentrate on losses, and they are many and painful, but the losses provide the contrast necessary to appreciate what remains.