“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we SHOULD dance!”-unknown

Marriage is like a dance. It takes two people to make it right. Before Parkinson’s life may be great, our partners and us are in sink working together as in doing the Tango dance. Although one partner may lead, the other follows right in step without a ray of sunshine between the two because even though there may be some strained missteps where backs gets bent too much and toes get occasionally stepped on the dance continuous in unison.

Then, the shocking diagnosis of PD arrives and after standing still for what may seem like eternity, the dance of life must resume.

How do we make it happen?    

The tango turns into a modern dance each of us trying to keep up with the hasty, changing life of PD. Trying to find a new routine, new common ground, new reasons to love, and laugh together again. Sometimes the steps become temporarily in sink and life is good again then it all becomes chaotic as the pace quickens and rhythms change and PD advances. We may twirl, spin, get dizzy and fall always waiting for the inevitable tomorrow to come; yet we keep on doing the dance the best we know how.

Once acceptance kicks in, if we are lucky both our partners and us can find a new dance to which to move in sink to. This can evolve into a fast paced movement constantly turning and moving to the rhythm that life demands of upon us. The dance of old dreams lost and new talents found with a new wisdom and a new understanding of who we could be. So we slow down a bit in our dance but no less majestic than before. Finally, we adjust and change our steps once more in sink growing gracefully as we age with this so called brain disease of PD.