My Dad was working with me one evening when I was little to learn to ride a bike, holding onto the back of the seat as I tried to coordinate pedaling and steering. Suddenly, I noticed a football-sized boulder to the right of my path. It scared me though it wasn’t on my path, so I kept my eyes on it as we approached. But somehow, the more I stared at that rock, the more I diverged toward it! Finally, I hit the rock and fell. That’s when Dad said something that has always stayed with me...
My Dad was otherwise the picture of health when, at the age of 59, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. When he told us, it hit with a shockwave, a numbness cultivated by denial and ignorance. I was barely in my 30’s and had no inkling of the devastating ramifications he was facing. Dad’s ways of coping with the diagnosis were… unique. Come read how Dad coped, from the odd to the brilliant.
Are you in need of some practical ways to get and KEEP joy in your life? I learned so much about this as I taught one of my own daughters how to choose joy over moodiness.
