There are days when I am not as patient as I should be, and I tend to get short tempered with my husband over things he cannot control. I want to hurry him along or get him to speak more clearly or, “for goodness sakes, stand up straight!” I become upset with him for those wonderful things Parkinson’s Disease has brought into our lives. I waste my breath being grumpy at him for the challenges of PD instead of blaming the illness. It is not okay for either of us.

He does not need to hear me complain about all the things he isn’t doing right. As a friend told me once, “I know I need to lose 20 pounds, I don’t need anyone to remind me”. The reality of my husband’s life is that he knows the challenges all too well and is probably bothered by them much more than I will ever know. He is doing the very best he can in each situation he faces. My snarky reminders are not helpful.  

I don’t need to focus on the negative aspects of his illness, that only wastes my energy and makes things worse. If I let go of the constant corrections, it makes room for me to be more positive and encouraging. There is a lot happening that is good and I should be accentuating those things. My husband is intelligent, strong and resilient. He will have good and bad days as he works to cope with whatever this disease throws his way. I need to remember to be angry at Parkinson’s and the situation, not the man doing his best to make his way through.