There are days when the only way for me to find a positive outlook is to start with a negative one. I know this appears to contradict what I have said in other writings. I am usually more of an optimist than a pessimist, but being a PD CarePartner has made me a realist. Loving and caring for someone with Parkinson’s can be difficult and depressing. Accepting the challenges this brings, and the feelings that come with them, is simply a normal day for me. That doesn’t have to mean it’s all bad.

Staying positive on a daily basis often means adjusting my thought process. If I expect things to go haywire, then I am pleasurably surprised when they go right. Maybe it’s best to be prepared for the worst rather that always go around seeking a beautiful, sunshiny, happy day. I’d rather have an unexpectedly pleasant outcome that brings joy than an unanticipated bad one that disappoints.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for every day that I get to spend with my wonderful husband. I understand that things are going to happen that we can’t anticipate or control because of this disease. Some days are going to be easier than others and that’s come to be our normal. So, for me, it has become a coping mechanism to expect life to be a bear and when things don’t go in that direction, all is good.