 |
 |
Hi Barb; This sounds great. We plan to be in California in May. > > Eventually I just got bored to pieces with my own company and started > arranging a monthly social dinner for members of my local PD support > group and any List member who might be passing thru L.A. on one of our > "Parkies-on-the-Town" dinner-nites.. That has been fun and lively as well > as very gratifying. > What's fer dinner????? > > Recently I was invited to host a PD support group for a nearby hospital > which has started a movement disorder clinic/neurosurgery under Dr. > Robert Iacono. Our first meeting's on March 21, and I'm soooooo > excited and eager for that day to arrive!! We're going to be starting > a PD telephone hot line shortly after the support group gets rolling, and > the hospital seems open to new ideas and suggestions. YOUSA!!!! > <giggle> > We can't wait to hear how this goes! > > I guess what I'm saying is that there IS life after Parkinson's... BUT... > it's a life with many more changes and adjustments for us to make > than we'd ever expected to have to make as we matured. Not a one > of us planned on coming down with Parkinson's.... it wasn't in our > "birthright contract!" Amazingly, most of us bend, flex, give-a-little-here- > and-there, accommodate, and even manage to GROW while we battle the disease. > Heck... we haven't even let PD stop us from enjoying a good > laugh or havin' fun! > So far I can't imagine PD stopping me from doing anything I really want to do...................certain restrictions?...maybe... > > I made my decisions to retire after the fact, and realize.... as you > suggested in your post, that it would have been better for me.... > physically and emotionally... to have thought of retirement BEFORE > I was forced to stop working. Actually, it was more of a "realization," > than a "decision," now that I think about it... > Vacations say retirement would be great. Economics say "Nyet!" > > During that post-employment 6 month fog of exhaustion it dawned on > me that IF I continued to work full-time in a field that demanded a 7 > day work week, I'd end up with my condition degenerating much more > rapidly then it would if I was able to stop pushing myself. > > Like I said, there is life after Parkinson's and there's ALSO "life after > retirement! But it's better to be prepared for the latter... ESPECIALLY if > it's caused by the former. > > Barb Mallut > [log in to unmask] > > Thanks for your usual thoughtful insight. I will love retirement when it is available but certainly have no plans to sit on my duff. As Dawn so aptly put it...... > > Over time I've come to treasure every hour I can function, & consider very > carefully any activity which might rob me of one of those hours. Holding that > up against the 6 months lost to exhaustion -- what a waste of precious days! > When days are gone, they are gone. Because of this, I would encourage anyone > who is experiencing anything similar to resolve it before it robs you of any > piece of life available to you! > > Redefining & refining is an ongoing process. At first I had found myself > asking: > How can I continue to work, but in a role that fits my current health status, > interests, etc. Then....... > What kind of life can I create that enriches my sense of being in the world > during the hours when I can function? > > I still ask, & answer, that last question frequently. The answers for me are > probably different than they'd be for someone else, but I think the questions > are usually the same: > -- What was it IN my work & other parts of my life that made it rewarding? > How can I get these things in new ways? > -- What things have I left undeveloped in myself or my life because I didn't > have time for them, or wasn't aware of them? How can I develop those now? > (This has brought enjoyment to my days that I probably wouldn't have had the > opportunity to experience if I had gone on working -- one of the > "gifts" of > PD) > -- How can I be of service to others now? > > My heartfelt wishes for good days ahead to those who are struggling with the > many issues of chronic debilitating illness. It takes some effort, & it takes > some time, but you CAN make them more wonderful than you could imagine! > > MDawn 55/6 > Yes, attitude is the absolute best meds for pd (or any other ailment). All of this "Coping with retirement" applies to successfully "Coping with PD". Best regards.............Murray 53/4 (finally correctly diagnosed in '94 - symptoms since the '70s) . [log in to unmask]