I have experienced every emotion and circumstance you describe so well, Birte. I too believe it is a matter of acceptance, and that we are all on a different timetable when coming to terms with this disease. That can make it hard for people to read and comprehend our experiences from both ends of the spectrum. Those who have reached a place of peaceful coexistence with PD want everyone to understand what it is like and that it is possible to achieve. On the other hand, there are those who can't even imagine getting to a point of acceptance, and think that those who profess to have done so are just fooling themselves (I spent several years in this spot!).

There's that oft-quoted Reinhold Niebuhr "Serenity Prayer":
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

I bring it up here because lately I've been thinking about the things that I miss about my "old self." I've decided that while some things are gone forever (to write fluidly; to hold a job that I love), there are other things that I have abandoned along the way that I do have the power to resurrect. One of those things is my sense of fun and love of a good time; and in order to get that back, I've had to reach out to friends again, old and new.

But I was not able to do this until I came to some sort of peace with the PD in general. It's a process; we can all provide support at different points along the way for each other.