Everyone is Ignorant. In some way or another !

It's a fact—everyone is ignorant in some way or another.Ignorance is our deepest secret.

And it is one of the scariest things out there, because those of us who are most ignorant are also the ones who often don't know it or don't want to admit it. We often think that there is just one way to look at things - the way we always have. 

In fact, there are an infinite number of ways to look at most everything. An open mind allows for a multitude of perspectives from which to choose in any given moment. That suppleness of mind allows for true choice, and opens us to a whole new realm of possibility. Jeffrey R. Anderson, The Nature of Things - Navigating Everyday Life .

Hello to all of my special Parkinson's friends and family Sometimes it is very hard to acknowledge that the way we view our world , maybe the way we have always viewed the world , is no longer a good fit. For those of us living with PD , as we entered this new world, many of us have faced enormous questions, adjustments and challenges to our lives and have had our often long standing views of life shaken, if you will pardon the pun, and perhaps shattered.As we dust ourselves off, if like me, you will attempt to realign your world into something that closely resembles your pre-diagnosis life, something that you can feel comfortable with, something that may involve change. 

Adapting to that change and working as well as you can to maintain that new lifestyle is not easy. "Just because someone carries it well doesn't mean it isn't heavy". Em Carey. I suddenly found myself with an unplanned early phasing out of work. I found myself thinking about how finite life was and felt an enormous urge to make the most of my now more precious time. In the extra time I had, I have given exercise and fitness a priority, but have also factored in some other activities that were always lingering close to the surface, longing to be free. My challenge today is to take another look. 

I recently read Sue Monk's words in The Secret Life of Bees and they resonated."Every human being on the face of the earth has a steel plate in his head, but if you lie down now and then and get still as you can, it will slide open like elevator doors, letting in all the secret thoughts that have been standing around so patiently, pushing the button for a ride to the top. The real troubles in life happen when those hidden doors stay closed for too long." 

I think the time has come to lie down and get very still. I sometimes hear snippets of conversation that illustrate a very narrow view of just what Parkinson's itself may mean to them. It saddens me to see those whose way of coping is to give up. For me, and for many of you, I know, we would never give in and allow this illness to take control. Our aim is to do as much as we can to build new neural pathways to help slow symptom progression, to educate ourselves and to arm ourselves with all the tools we can muster to assist us. 

Like life itself, our attitude really will determine how this will all play out for us. Recently I attended a NSW Parkinson's Seminar. I was part of a very special audience; an audience of those living with Parkinson's and their carers. I knew many of them and was heartened to discover that their minds were open, that they were there to be educated and to learn as much as possible about how to live well with PD. Issac Asminov once said "Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in. 

As the end of this massive year draws near and with a new year rapidly approaching, I am feeling personally that it is time for me to "scrub off (my) windows" and let in "the light" . I have found this to be especially valuable when I am feeling at my lowest. It amazes me that it can result in renewed vigour. 

Warmest wishes to all of you very special and amazing people, who fèel and share the good times and the not so good times. 

There are no magic miracles with this illness but my Christmas wish for you all is that you find a little time and energy over the festive season to "scrub off your windows". 

May this help you to put in place a little something to help reinvigorate and sustain you throughout 2023.