It’s the time of year when I am reminded to be thankful for the good in our lives, but I don’t always remember to thank myself for the good things I do every day in my role as CarePartner. I used to work in a job where I helped other people find and acknowledge their strengths, now it’s my turn. I need to look inside to see what it is that keeps me going, how I manage to make it through regardless of the challenges that pop up, and I need to be grateful.

If I were to make a list of my strengths, I think that organization and resilience would be at the top. I hope that loving and compassionate would also make the top 5 perhaps followed by determined. I know that I am hard-working and try to be kind and fair. I am usually optimistic and would love to add patience to the list, but I am afraid I would be lying. Patience is my biggest personal challenge and the strength I need to grow the most. I would close out my list with curious as I love learning new things about the world I live in and the life I am leading.

It’s easy to see how these strengths impact me in my role of CarePartner. I have to be organized and hard-working to make sure things get done, an optimistic and loving mindset helps me stay calm, resilience lets me jump back in when things go awry, curiosity brings me new solutions for problems I face. My compassion, kindness and fairness are the gauges I use to temper my reactions to the challenges Parkinson’s brings to our lives. When I am feeling overcome, I will take a breath and be grateful that I have the strength, I can make it through. I will thank myself because I am strong enough for whatever this life brings.