DON'T LOOK DOWN !

OR BACK FOR THAT MATTER.......
As the old saying goes, if you are way up high in a scary place, doing your best to maintain your balance, don't look down. It can only get worse if you look down. Looking back is almost as bad. If I had been looking back last night and seen that car getting ready to crash into my car .....well, lets just say I preferred the surprise over the fear. Car- totaled, Keith - shaken but not stirred.

We live in a scary world these days. Economic crisis, terrorists, war, recession, soaring unemployment, global warming....if you even glance down you could lose your balance. Blink once and down you go. Dealing with PD itself is a great challenge. Dealing with the other things that come with it may be an even greater challenge. Recently, Mary and I have been tossing around some options for our future and decisions have been made or will be made that some will find to be not so poplular while others will completely "get it" and understand.

For instance, we have pretty much decided to sell our home , pay off what little debt is left after the mortgage , then take the equity and pay for a nice mobile home in a quiet park leaving us in the blissful state of debt free. Why ? Because sooner or later I won't be able to work and we would rather plan on that now than have to scramble or risk financial burden on Mary later. It makes perfect sense to some and others think we are mad. When we bought this place neither of us planned to ever leave. Of course we had not planned on PD and we did not plan to have a child either. So our cozy, 2 BR , rustic cottage was perfect. Now, it's cramped, too small, harder for me to maintain and deal with steps...you get the picture. It is a VERY painful decision for both of us but one we need to face squarely.

For me, realizing and accepting that I won't be able to provide the kind of home I want to was hard. Giving up my hot rod garage where my grown son and I have spent countless, wonderful hours sharing a passion for cars will be heart wrenching to put it mildly.

Another polarizing landmark decision was to have another child. Actually , I think what I agreed to was to take no precautions and see what develops. Again, madness to some and inspiring to others. Mary and I got together late in my life and our age difference alone (22 years) marks us as "different". Had we both been young we would have had more than one child so we joke that we may as well continue marching to the beat of our own hearts instead of conforming to some preconceived mold dictated by society at large. At the end of the day, we are choosing to live all we can while we can.

A visit to the neurologist at UVA brought news as well. As I predicted, I am now starting Sinimet. Doc says I will feel better. Also switched from Mirapex to Requip....seem to have more energy but anyone who can tell me what I can expect from going on Sinimet , please leave me a comment....

So, how am I doing overall ?

I'M SHAKIN' A LEG !
And as long as I can do that and look forward , never looking back, I got it knocked baby......