We are all used to being asked "how are you doing?" especially those of us playing
the "back nine" of life. This has been a source of some anxiety for me and other
PwP friends because we are not being honest if we give the standard response
that we are "doing well or fine", which minimizes the challenges we face on a daily
basis. I also know that many people are uncomfortable with the truth for a variety of
reasons.
I read an interview with Michael J. Fox in an AARP magazine. When he was asked
how he was doing his response was "About average for a brain-damaged human". I
am going to try this one out with friends that I know who are aware that I am living with
PD. Since this is likely to result in a request for clarification I would like to be able to
give them a short-response snapshot of what living with PD is like. I like Michaeel's
explanation:
" It's what you can't see. The lack of an inner gyroscope or a sense of balance, of peripheral perception. It's like sailing a ship on stormy seas on a bright sunny day."
If I do this it will not be to make my friends sorry for me, but to help them at least
begin to understand. With Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases
becoming so widespread, perhaps I have an obligation to tell the truth.
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