The old saying to “try to find the good in everything” may be cliché, but in my opinion it’s damn good advice as well. I find myself relying on it increasingly frequently as my Parkinson’s progresses; one can learn a…
New world
Enter the light uncluttered, Tableau unfiltered, fresh, Eyes leaping shape to shape, Thought is curious, but familiar, Logic blessedly beyond ken, Free from freedom; empty of cold, Wonder abounds without convention, Unburdened with structure or form, Thrust into powder’s odd…
Personal strategies learned the hard way for others afflicted with Young-Onset Parkinson’s
“Just the facts, Ma’am” – first, some background on Parkinson’s. Being a progressive disease simply means that the illness becomes progressively worse over time. Add the word “incurable” and it’s easy to see why a person with Parkinson’s Disease (PD)…
Empty
Pain is nothing, Generality of convention, Relative term, sentence, Omnipresence, It’s real. To feel, Prickle, tingle, ache, Unobserved trick, Saturated wick, No course. Full remorse, Acts unfulfilled, Dreams left floating, Death’s ill gloating, To wait. The bait, Life’s solemn promise,…
Tilting at Windmills: Limitations of the professional aviation safety model in sport diving
In 1985 I joined the Navy. After a 14 week stint at Aviation Officer Candidate School (“An Officer and a Gentleman”), I began pilot training. Military life was a different world in all sorts of ways (I still fold my…
Proof of life
At the fold of the sky and infinite sea, Stooped and beholden in search of the key, Hunting out clues to a purposeful puzzle, The Scribner intently refuses the muzzle, Dead eager to act and driven past reason, Fueled by…
Walking the road; saying goodbye to the VW bus
According to the radio, the VW bus – or mini-van or Vanagon, depending on one’s era – will no longer be built anywhere in the world. Brazil, the last manufacturing hold out, recently announced that they were ceasing production of…
Breathe life
Life’s simple gift unexpected, Age’s reward overdue, No fanfare of Angels’ direction, Package bequeathed with a clue. No need to be hidden in secret, Transparent of motive or strife, A baby’s first lesson from daddy, Look up; raise head; breathe…
Effortless proficiency
Increasingly effective use of cognition is essentially proportional to effort until thought travels to the hidden back side of reasoning’s circle where effort mysteriously vanishes. What seconds earlier took tremendous concentration and effort suddenly flows with unimpeded focus even while…
No need to panic
The Internet was out this morning. So was the phone and cable. Only in these exceedingly rare moments of blissful disconnection (once the initial panic subsides) do I seem able to connect with the only person that matters, or at…