You might have guessed that I’m not fond of dealing with Parkinson’s a.o.m. (and other misery) in life. Thing is, not-dealing with stuff will most definitely benefit our evolution. Not-dealing means nót settling for second best. Take monkeys. Monkeys are extremely good at settling for second best, which is why they’ve been eating raw leaves for yonks. No monkey has ever come up with the idea of boiling its leaves, thankfully so, as cooking food is the ultimate key to an accelerated evolutionary path. They simply deal with raw leaves, even though it will keep them up in those trees for yet another million years.
So please – don’t anyone come up with the idea of teaching monkeys how to cook, because we’ll only end up with (yet more) monkeys in government. Just kidding. It’s true though, this thing about monkeys, cooking and evolution.
Not dealing with parkinson’s a.o.m.
Back to dealing with Parkinson’s a.o.m. It’s a typically Dutch notion, dealing with something, especially if it’s preceded by a ‘must’. Yet the opposite has two distinct advantages. The first is that not-dealing with Parkinson’s a.o.m. can be a great relief. “Right. No more coping today. Or tomorrow. Or next week or next year.” Advantage 2 of not-dealing with misery, is that you’re likely choosing for a slightly rebellious route. Better still, an un-therapeutic route. Think cycling up and down a French mountain to raise money for research, exercising, reading everything you can get your hands on about Parkinson a.o.m, joining a boxing club, mowing the grass in the rain and eating chocolate in bed.
You know very well that you have a nasty disease, you know very well that it’s no fun for you or those around you. You also know that everyone has their own way of dealing or not dealing with things.
Oma said
I choose my grandmother’s approach of not-dealing with things. She said: you don’t have to deal with it, you don’t have to process it, you don’t have to give it a place, you don’t have to get over it … one day you will catch a glimpse of what lies behind…and it will give you strength. So don’t give up. Ever.
I am telling myself the same. I am also telling myself to choose to do something fantastically un-therapeutic every now and then. To never give up. Square up to my very own personal fate mountain, send those therapies flying off the slopes (I do hang on to the therapists and the meds though) and then figure out a way to conquer that mountain.
Un-therapeutic toffees
While I’m at it, I grab some deliciously un-therapeutic strawberry toffees (I’m not so keen on banana), wash them down with Coke and then source a cable car, sherpa or tunnel digger with one of those diamond drill things.
Whatever you do, don’t accept your fate, don’t get stuck at the bottom of the mountain. Do something. I’m not so good at history, but as far as I’m aware, there’s never been a revolution, let alone an evolution, without rebellious, single-minded and fantastically un-therapeutic people.