At first you think you can beat it,
Like overcoming a bad headache or
Exercising through a pulled muscle.
There will be pain and medicine to take,
Rehabilitation, discomfort and
Annoyance, perhaps,
But it will be OK.
Your assumption follows
Less from denial—though some of that is there—
And more from a tolerance of physical discomfort.
A history of well-serving stubbornness
Helps, too, when you tell yourself:
It’ll be OK because it always has been.
Then, the illness unpacks in your brain,
An uninvited guest with an undeniable presence,
Who remains cordial enough for a while but
Eventually becomes a resident Beast that
Has the run of the house
With no plans to leave.
Never.
It’s then that you start asking yourself, and your doctors,
And others who live with their own Beast,
Will it be OK?
Turns out it will be.
Life with the Parkinson’s Beast will go on for a long time and
It can be a good life
If you resolve to make it good.
In a newly-minted life of
Illness, loss, and deficits
May also come pleasant surprises and gains, including
Beautiful people and newfound strengths.
You learn that it takes a commitment
To this newly-minted life to live it well,
Discipline, too,
And a resolve to tame the Beast,
Whether for one day, one hour, or
One moment at a time.
In fact, you also learn that life is but a series of moments
Strung together, moments to be endured but also
Moments to be appreciated.
Savored.
Recognizing that life is this way, that it
Offers challenges and gifts,
That growth remains possible, as does finding joy,
Meaning, purpose, and hope—
Recognizing all of that is how we beat the illness,
How we tame the Beast,
Why it will be OK.
This is how
We live the only
Life we have.
One moment at a time.