<h1>Mirror, Mirror, on the wall.....</h1>

Why isn't there a direct correlation between thinking and the condition of the body? Seems to me that our brain maintains our self evaluation at a youthful level while our body grows old and deteriorates. When I look into the mirror, I don't think that the 69 year old face looking back at me is the real me. That's not me. I don't feel the age of that old reprobate! I guess most of us are doomed to go to our deaths thinking "I am much to young to be at this point in my life!"

Can you hear the gods chuckling and saying to each other "There is an indirect correlation between the vanity of humans and our prime directive of 'who gives a shit'."

Well, PD is trying its best to make me grow old, both in body and in mind, but I am fighting back. My thoughts are young and as yet are not hampered by Parkinson's. I don't dwell on the future and try to keep my mind free of the annoyances of PD. However, my body....well... that is something else. When I coached track some 20 odd years ago, I would race my athletes over 200m and marvel at their suppleness and speed but I could keep up with them for the first 10 or so metres. Not now. I can't run anymore. That little dash of freedom has been stolen from me; so I walk, yesterday 15000 steps. My legs, heart and lungs are all in good shape and I am working on my upper body with a weight regime.

These exercises are not born of vanity but of a desire to slow the progress of PD. I am 5 years post diagnosis and with the help of drugs and workouts, outwardly, I am symptom free. Inwardly, I do feel changes coming, but those changes are so mild that they don't populate my thinking too much, too often.

Happily, my neurologist recently told me I was as close to being perfect, (as far as the rapidity of PD's onslaught is concerned) as anybody he has seen. Another neuro, when told about my exercise regime, commented that what I was doing was the best treatment for keeping PD at bay.

If you are a PWP, take my advice, exercise, and try to keep your body as young as your thinking. Exercise is your best medicine for achieving that equilibrium.

Oh, and avoid mirrors.