As we approach the end of 2019, my wish for 2020 is that it’s better than 2019. For all sorts of reasons, it’s been a difficult year with many challenges for me and for many of my friends. It’s occurred to me that lately I’ve been wishing for lots of things to be different than how they are. Top of my wish list: I wish I didn’t have Parkinson’s. Followed by lots of other things I can’t change.
I’ve been thinking about it and this way of thinking isn’t helpful. Because no amount of wishing will change the fact that I have Parkinson’s. Or the fact that it’s a progressive condition affecting millions of people worldwide. But rather than just wishing I didn’t have Parkinson’s, it would be more helpful to focus on the fact that I can choose how I live my life with Parkinson’s and that there are many people and organisations worldwide working to find better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s. And I can do my bit to help them in different ways, such as supporting Parkinson’s UK.
So I’ve decided to think about everything on my wish list in a different way and replace it with a hope list… a list of things I can change, or at least influence.
A few years ago I read an article which suggested that instead of making new year’s resolutions, you choose a word to focus on for the year. So as we approach a new year, and a new decade, my word for 2020 is hope.
Happy Christmas! I hope you have a new year filled with peace, joy and hope.
Living with Parkinson's 