One Year Anniversary of My Blog, Move to Live - Beating Parkinson's

The year has gone by quickly since I first started my blog. As a matter of fact, it was one year ago today that I hit the publish post button. I remember before my diagnosis hearing people talk about blogging. I asked my wife exactly what a blog was. Being more web savvy than me, she explained it was a kind of journal that people could read online. I didn't quite understand why people would want to read on the web about someone they didn't know. I also didn't get Facebook, never looked at You Tube, and what is a Twitter? Then the diagnosis came and my fear or flight response kicked in.  I chose fight. Having that glass half full, the sun will come up tomorrow kind of attitude, I might be able to help others while at the same time finding a purpose in my life to see Parkinson's and all neurological diseases wiped from the face of the earth.

I now know how powerful of a tool social media can be. It can bring together people from around the world who suffer from PD, providing a place where our voices can be heard, where we can find support for each other, and where we can spread awareness to our cause. As we form a chain linking our blogs and web sites together, supporting each other, we become stronger as a Parkinson's community as each new link is added. We are all part of the same family now brought together by this disease. Each newly diagnosed person joins our ranks. Our hearts go out to them. We know the challenges they and their families will face and at the same time they know they are not alone in this fight because of the bloggers, tweeters, facebookers, web sites, and all forms of social media to help support them in this battle. I didn't get it a year ago. I do get it now. I would like to say thank you to those wonderful minds who conceived the idea of social media, giving me and others like me a voice.

If you have a blog that pertains to PD or any neurological problem, or you have linked me to your site and I have not reciprocated, please let me know. I would be happy to put your link on my blog, Remember there are a thousand ways to communicate the same thing. We all hear things differently, but just one of those voices resonates with someone and it can give hope and comfort. We can't let that opportunity pass us by.

I am Pat Younts and I Move to Live.

Mindset and Parkinson's

"You can do anything if you set your mind to it", the saying goes, but what does that mean? Anything can be done. True want is a very strong force. The 'want to' in someone can achieve great things. A singular personified desire focused on a specific goal by a person can be a true force of nature. Want is preceded by the setting of the mind; that is putting your thoughts into a place, a staging area from which you will go forward.

For instance, what kind of day do you "want" to have? I presume a good one. When you wake up, what is your first thought? Is it positive or negative? If for one week you wrote down what you thought of as you got out of bed, the first thing you programmed in, how you set your mind for the day, what would be on that piece of paper? "I need more sleep." "I am so tired", or "I love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning; that should perk me up", "I hate my job", or "Thank goodness I have a job to go to". "Why me? Why do I have PD", or "What will I do to fight back? How can I help others like me and improve my quality of life?" I think very few of us wake up and put a smile on our faces, but wouldn't it be great if we did? If you fought through all those negative thoughts, and just smiled -- for those of us with Parkinson's who are masking a smile on the inside, one that radiates out of your body -- then shout at the top of your lungs, "I WILL HAVE A GREAT DAY!"  Actually, do not shout because everyone else in your house will begin their day by falling out of their beds -- not the way to start the day for them. It would be great to think or say it to yourself.

I set my mind to three components each day. Listen to some music. Rhythmic sounds can help with stress. Laughter and humor have been shown to have both physical and emotional benefits so I find a way to laugh every day.  Last but not least, meditation. There is much information coming out on its benefits. Meditation is now part of my daily routine.

Life takes work. You can sit there and hope it comes to you or you can go out and get it.

Every day we set ourselves to task, but the one task we overlook is what kind of day to have. Take care of the things that are in your control and don't dwell on the things that aren't.  All we really have is a series of moments that make up our lives. We need to squeeze every ounce of joy we can out of them. One moment we are here, the next we are gone, and in between that, we have a choice of how we live each day. Simple? Yes. Easy to do? No, but you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Have a great day!

I'm Pat Younts and I Move to Live.

Staying Connected and Parkinson's

I think it would be easy to start losing connections to things as Parkinson's becomes more challenging. I am losing the connection between me and my body as things progress. I keep reconnecting through physical activity (move to live). I keep my mind sharp by using it in game play and other activities as not to lose the connection between me and my cognitivity, but the thing that I make sure I stay connected to the most is people. We can start to isolate ourselves with Parkinson's. As things become awkward, we start to feel embarrassed. We don't like to be looked at and felt sorry for - our pride and dignity challenged by our disease. Our shell becomes fragile and we start to feel vulnerable so we avoid social situations. We protect ourselves from this by retreating and losing our connections with friends and family. 

I am a personal trainer and am still able to train my clients. I was at the gym the other day working out my client and dear friend Cindy when another member came in. She walked near us on her way to the dressing room. We made eye contact, I smiled, and she smiled back. I think eye contact and a smile is a wonderful way to connect with someone. We made another connection a second later when her eyes shifted from my eyes and then to my shaking hand. Smile gone, she glanced back up, then quickly away from me and hurried past. I might just have had a scarlet P on my forehead.

Earlier that same day in the gym I was working out with my training partner Big Mike. As I finished my set on the bench press and sat up, one of the regular members, a powerlifter who I always chat with, said, "I noticed you really steady out when you lift." We had never discussed my PD, only talked about training. The subject never came up. He looked past the shaking and connected to what I was accomplishing. In just a matter of an hour, a positive and a negative.

We are all citizens of the same planet, dividing ourselves with borders like race, religion and politics, fear of what we do not understand. We fail to connect to each other. When we chose to connect with someone, we now feel responsible for them. When we see tragedy befall another country, the devastation of a natural disaster, and we connect to another peoples problem, all of the sudden they are no longer a race or a country, they are human. So it was hard for that young woman to connect with me because we might have a conversation at the gym, she might have to ask me why my hand shakes, and then she might have to care about Parkinson's. That would mean she might feel responsible to help in some way. When we chose not to connect, to isolate ourselves, we eliminate the chance to spread awareness about our disease. We don't allow people to care and if people don't care, we will never find a cure.

We can't lose this connectivity to people. PD is not our identity. It is our cause. I find the strength to battle it multiplied by my wife and children, every family member, every friend, and everyone who looks past the disease and still sees the person. Always remember who you are, stay connected, and stay strong.

I am Pat Younts and I move to live.