Just how bad is my situation?Really!!
I have read some incredible life stories concerning PD on this site and to be honest, I am impressed by the thoughtfulness and determination reported by many in our community.
I have been diagnosed coming on 3 years now. In comparison, I have nothing to complain about. Yeah, some tremors in hand and foot. But only on the left side. I can’t see out of the middle of my left eye due to some scar tissue on the retina but my right eye is fine. I can do my photography, I can drive, and I can see all the beautiful things there are to see.
I can’t smell or taste which in some cases can be a good thing. But I have my memory and can still remember the wonderful tastes and smells of delectable dishes past.
I have Tinnitus in both ears 24/7 that sounds like cicadas. But I can still here the music from my guitar, my life partner’s voice and the sounds of children playing and dogs barking. And, I have my sense of humor.
So, how can I complain when all that I ever experienced is either accessible in my memory or can be stored in real time. Life moves forward. One second, one hour, one day at a time. Find a way to slow it down and smile. A moment in a life lived or a reaction to something happening at this very moment.
I know my situation may deteriorate in time. But, for now, I am here surrounded by love , beauty, and people who care.
This is beautiful. You have such an amazing perspective. Thanks so much for sharing. April - ParkinsonsDisease.net Team 
Great outlook on life! Jeff, keep those spirits up! All the best. Marc M. Moderator, ParkinsonsDisease.Net
Jeff,
Great presentation of a positive perspective of our collective battle versus Parkinson’s. I have some difficulties but as a 64 y.o. PwP in can’t always separate the causes of my issues. I am reluctant to buy into Parkinson’s as the source of most issues. If I do that I become a Victim rather than the Navigator of my own ship. You are absolutely right it could be soooo much worse. Thanks for sharing. Blessings, MikeHi Mike, How are you doing? We haven't talked in awhile. Everything is status quo here. I agree with your philosophy. We are Victors, not Victims. Our outlook and attitude play a big part on how we approach life, ie., "Is our glass half full or half empty?" We cannot change the hand that we were dealt, but we can be focused on living life to its fullest! With warm wishes, my friend, Marc M., ParkinsonsDisease.Net, Moderator 
"I am reluctant to buy into Parkinson’s as the source of most issues. If I do that I become a Victim rather than the Navigator of my own ship." Sorry, but I don't agree. That is your perspective and I have to respect it, and I have no ethical right to "diss" you for it.
Acceptance of a disease is not submission to a disease. For example, if you knew that you had the symptoms of bowel cancer, wouldn't you prefer to be tested and know for certain? Knowing you have bowel cancer is not an automatic death sentence. Once you have a diagnosis, you can choose to fight it by having treatment, or you can take a laissez-faire, lackadaisical approach and wait and see if you die sooner than expected i.e., for a Western male about 80 y.o. and for a Western female 84 - 87 y.o.
Being a "victim" makes it sound like, and it's not your fault, you are a person with no resilience, no "guts", no grit.
Some people "victims." When someone in your family is murdered, and the murderer is caught by the Police, they have a trial, they are found guilty, and finally there is a sentencing hearing. The family members are invited by the Court to read a "Victim Impact Statement."
By your POV, the family members who loved the deceased, have no right to grieve, have no right to miss their loved one, etc. Their emotions are preventing them from being the Navigator of their own ship. Therefore, they should "suck it up," get over it, and get on with living their life, i.e., "navigating their own ship."
When you choose to convert a picture displayed on your computer screen to "grayscale," you will have at least 254 shades of gray between white and black.
Life is "grayscale." The Monkees have on their album "Headquarters" one of my favourite songs: "Shades of Gray."
I used to be a "Black and White" person, and I was so judgmental of people. Now I am a lot more flexible and am much more open to applying Empathy and Compassion to a person.
Acceptance is not "surrender" to "victimhood."
I love this reminder to live well TODAY! The old saying about today being a gift - thus it is a present - fits your story well. Thank you for this positive reminder! Lorraine, parkinsonsdisease.net moderator
