Parkinson's: Finding your Way to Joy

 Snarky Parky & me 

A Journey Into Parkinson's with Nancy Mellon

Blog Coordinated by Corrine Bayraktaroglu

Way Ups and Way Downs

Yesterday I had a Pity Party and it was a beaut. I hadn't slept well, felt icky and am not going to describe all the PD symptoms I was wallowing in, (but just generally go down the non motor PD symptom list and you've got the idea. GRRRR.)

Corrine has said in the past to go ahead and have a pity party, it's OK. Zyn, my daughter-in-law also gave her blessing on my pity party and then delighted me with a wonderful, unexpected hug. (Which went immediately into my morning list of 5 things I was grateful for. Thank you Fran, for the idea of making a gratitude list every day-no matter what I was feeling, there is always something to be grateful for.)

Steven and I were irascible with each other, in the morning. Though he did try, he threw in the comment, “ Have you thought about what Eileen said to ask yourself? “Is this a useful thought?” No, of course it wasn't... grumble, grumble.

But by mid afternoon we were edging into good-natured teasing that turned into laughing, while making an Easter coffee cake together.

AI prompt by c.bayrak

Zyn had told us, that yesterday, Emberlee had wailed, ( Em is into very vigorous, and very loud, wailing at the moment) that she didn't want to miss out on the “Traditional, Family, Easter Breakfast.” (She had been thrilled the moment before- both girls had been invited to stay overnight on Friday night with their Auntie Christine and Nanna, (Auntie's mom) They would be home by Saturday night. Easter, being on Sunday, was trumped by Em being 5, she was confused when the Easter plan was also mentioned. Hence, our tiny, pony-tailed girl, wailing “I don't want to miss the TRADITIONAL, EASTER, FAMILY, BREAKFAST!”

And that gets us to Steven and I laughing and making his mom's coffee cake recipe for our family's breakfast on Easter. After that, we took a walk in our village with a spring breeze, lightly blowing and the sun shinning warmly on our backs.

While we were slowly walking, I said to Steven, “Your mom's recipe card, is getting tattered on the edges and her handwriting is fading. Do you have any idea when she gave it to us? How old do you think that recipe card is?”

He answered, “Did she give it to us when we moved to NYC? That would make it 42 year's old.”

I smiled, “I think, I would like to make it into an art piece for Emberlee.”

A pale pink index card, with tattered edges, faded handwriting, and some splotches on it. Maybe they are the marks from where my fingers have held it, for so many years,

“Traditional” Yah.

May all our Pity Parties work their way into joy,

Cheers,

Nancy and the Snark.

Footnotes from Corrine - pity parties are okay but a one person party gets old pretty quick and it's much more fun to share cake with family and friends you love. I  just love this “ May all our Pity Parties work their way into joy.”

Illustration by corrine bayraktaroglu