Of course, I am talking metaphorically.
The lesson for today is twofold:
- what is a metaphorical time machine? and
- What's that got to do with PD?
A time machine exists only in the mind of H.G. Wells. Such a device is not real...or....maybe one is, speaking metaphorically. You don't need all the fancy contraptions envisaged by Wells; all you need is patience; eventually, you, or someone you know will organize a "reunion". Go to it. You will meet older versions of older friends but you will be transported back to your youth and the ages will slip away. Behold! The creation of a time machine.
My time machine occurred this past weekend. I set my ETA for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday was a meet and greet and I met and greeted people I had not seen for decades. Saturday was a huge success. For the most part, my parkinson's took a nap, allowing me access to normality. Well, sort of. My speech was too soft and I stumbled over words, but my old friends, now in their metaphorical teens, were willing to endure my "vocal patois". Unfortunately. Sunday was a bust. My PD exhaustion won out and I slept like a baby. However, I now had proof that metaphorical time machines really can exist.
But, what do time machines have to do with PD?
All those lousy symptoms we suffer can have an isolating effect on our lives. After all, who wants to be seen in public with one or both hands shaking uncontrollably, feet dragging noticeably, back bent crookedly and voice disappearing quietly. It's embarrassing, isn't it? Thus we prefer to stay in our homes, keeping contact with the outside to a minimum. Well, check this out:
- Your symptoms are not that noticeable.
- people who socialize enjoy better physical health
- Socializing strengthens the immune system
- Your mood will improve and finally,
- Your brain will benefit. People who get out of the house and lead active social lives are less prone to dementia
Get off the couch and find or build your own time machine disguised as a reunion(s). Try it. You won't regret it.
"Interacting with other people is crucial to our well-being. Social involvement helps shape our own identity, bolsters perception of our self-worth, and enables our simultaneous involvement as an individual and as part of a collective..... In quantifying predictors of quality of life in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), investigators found social isolation was second only to physical mobility as a factor in predicting poorer quality of life outcomes".
UCSF Parkinson's Center. 29/9/2015
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