<H1>Who's all hung up on that happiness thing?</H1>

I love going to boxing, mostly due to the people I have met there. They all seem to be happy. There is magic in the air. I was diagnosed in 2011, almost 7 years ago! The drugs have worked perfectly for me and I am still relatively free of noticeable symptoms. I say "relatively" because I catch a glimpse of my future in that room sometimes. There are PWP at every stage of the 5 stages of PD in that boxing club. If you have forgotten the stages, they are:

Stage 1
Mild symptoms such as tremors along one side of the body may be presented at this stage. Often the symptoms are mild enough not to interfere with daily life, but slight changes in walking, posture, or facial expressions may be noticed by those around them.

Stage 2
Both sides of the body may be affected by slightly worsened tremors or rigidity. Issues with posture and walking may become quite noticeable and everyday activities may be harder to achieve but patients will still be able to do things for themselves.

Stage 3
As motor symptoms become worse, patients may begin to experience loss of balance leading to falls and movement can become very slow. Although many patients can still live independently they may have difficulty in everyday activities such as eating or dressing.

Stage 4
In this later stage, symptoms are now extremely limiting. Many patients can still stand without assistance but movement is greatly impaired. Most will need help with everyday activities and will not be able to look after themselves.

Stage 5
This is the most advanced stage of the disease and most patients will experience difficulty in walking and standing, often requiring a wheelchair. Assistance will be needed in all areas of daily life as motor skills are seriously impaired. In addition, people with advanced Parkinson’s disease may also begin to suffer hallucinations*.

I am unsure as to what stage I occupy, but I think I am on a cusp between 2 & 3.

But this is not about me; it is about my compatriots and the volunteers who help out the boxers. I feel good just by attending as often as I can. I can get a shot of happy air from the others and they lift me up. Why? Because we cavort in an atmosphere of happiness. Sounds sentimental and weepy, doesn't it? Too bad because, no matter what stage they have reached in their journey, each victim seems to be happy. There is a lot of laughter in the room and it is completely therapeutic.

You (people without parkinson's) would wonder why in the world we are happy, given our problems. I wonder that sometimes too. The lesson I have taken from these people is that happiness is a state of mind. It is how you look at the world and despite your condition, you can see and process the good things ahead. It is avoiding all the stressors of your condition that prevent you from being happy.

Happiness is not the result of external events; it is completely under your control.

Of course, every so often I slip and feel a touch of sadness. At 71, I am still a work in progress, but I can talk myself out of any spot of darkness in which I find myself and when the self-talk fails, I can always go to boxing.

*(Parkinson's Today - article by Wendy Henderson)