EILEEN ADLER

"Courageous care partners recharge with self-care, striving for peaceful pinnacles
in patience, persistence, and positive 
changes, knowing when to conquer and when to comfort."

What Life Lessons Have I Learned?

Aug 09, 2019 by Eileen Adler

Ponder this question for a moment: Do you believe everything happens for a reason, or do we just find reasons after things happen? Often, when explaining how my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I supply this reason: he stood in the wrong line. No one deserves to get sick, but some people do. If there is a reason for any diagnosis, what might it be? What life lessons have I learned? I have learned many things including this acknowledgment: he has the disease, but we are both impacted by it. I’ve learned that we are strong, we are survivors. (That’s true for today anyway.) I can fix a loose towel bar by myself by problem-solving; I don’t need someone else to rescue me every time something goes awry. My husband’s drive to stay well inspires me to take care of myself. If he can go to the gym, so can I. No pity party here. Who needs reasons? It is what it is, acceptance.