My life is an open book

Leading a private life is what most people prefer, but I find myself now exposed and thrown somewhat out there unintentionally. As uncomfortable as it was at first, I quickly realised that allowing fellow sufferers, care givers and hopefully catching the attention of  the general public making them more aware of Parkinson's, my life consequently became an open book. I'm no Shakespeare, but more of a Beatrice Potter or Enid Blyton. No complicated prose, but simple language spoken from personal experience and straight from my heart.

We were invited to a family function, and upon receiving the invitation, I promptly wrote it in my diary along with the time. How I managed to write the wrong time down, I cannot explain. I'd like to pass the buck, put it down to Parkinson's and let it take the blame, for we arrived there at 12:00, when in fact the function started at 13:30. My husband true to his nature took it in his stride and with good humour, but I'll never live this one down.  The manager was very sweet and understanding, offered us coffee and juice and seated us near a window so that we could enjoy the stunning view of mountains and forests. As if this was not enough to put me to shame, I had forgotten to remove the price tag from a new top I was wearing. Thankfully a relative came up to me and unobtrusively popped the price tag inside so that no one would see. I don’t know if anyone else had noticed, but quite frankly, I'm passed worrying about such trivial matters.

With so much to contend with each day, I no longer have the luxury of time to ponder inconsequential things. Time and again, I hear "don't sweat the small stuff" and this couldn't be more true. So what if your man leaves the toilet seat up, drops his dirty washing on the floor, that your family believe there's a house elf who magically clears up after them - these are admittedly annoying, but in the scope of all things, do they really matter? If the house isn't' spotlessly clean, I can assure you the 'hygiene police' wont be knocking down your door. Relax, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Someone very dear to me wrote such heart-warming words for my birthday - bringing tears to my eyes, capturing the very essence of life, and encapsulating what is really important, emphasizing how very blessed I am. Yes I have Gaucher and Parkinson's disease, but I have so much more, I'm one very lucky lady!