It has taken me years to figure this out, but your body communicates to you. For example, after you eat a large Thanksgiving meal I’ll bet your body tells you it is tired. Well, Parkinson’s has taught me to listen to my body, to pay close attention to signs and signals. For example, with Parkinson’s my legs tend to get restless before bedtime, making it difficult to get to sleep. So if your legs are telling you they are restless, then I hop on the exercise bike and just spin the legs for 30 minutes. After the exercise my legs tell me they are tired and getting to sleep is easy.

Listening is a not just about hearing with your ears, it is about paying attention to how your body feels. Whether you have Parkinson’s or not, all of us should practice listening more, we should hone this skill.

For me, this will be a lifetime pursuit, to become the best listener I can be.

I have Parkinson’s, it doesn’t have me,

Derek