Parkie couldn't explain her attraction to little bald Egpytian men. It started with her physical therapist, who moved here from Egypt 13 years ago and had an American attitude toward life and an excellent sense of humor. ....it was not romantic, but it caused parkie to notice others like him.

This little bald Egyptian was not wearing a wedding ring.....but she was so off!

that she could not distinguish between the pole to her right that she had clasped onto and so she reached out to grasp at his shiny

...wrist watch, at the same time gaining a much needed sense of balance by grabbing his hand.

Parkie quickly surmised that although Adonis looked awful good to her, she was in no shape to work on relationships at the moment, and still had to use the restroom.

Meds finally kicked in, body adjusting to a more normal state, dyskinesia blissfully at bay, Parkie finished up, and looked forward to a bit of relaxation.

As she approached the bar and gracefully hopped up oto the bar stool, the bartender asked, "stiff one for you"? Parkie said "up until now yes, thank you, but I've had stiffer. May I have a Coke?"

The bartender was good. He remained expressionless as he poured the soda, making a mental note to watch this one a bit.

Business was picking up, and he knew he would have a tough night if he let anyone get out of control. Replacing the bottle in the glittering array behind the bar, he spoke just loudly enough to be heard by a shadowy figure at the end of the bar: "Cheer up, pal, things could be a lot worse." The figure, nodding resignedly, hunched a little closer to its drink, a tear slightly gleaming in the darkness.

Seeing that Parkie was alert and attentive, the bartender moved closer again, and observed,"Poor kid just found out he's got that thing Michael J. Fox has, that whachamacallit, Parkison's, isn't it?"

Parkie nodded.

"Comes in here every night, blubbin' into a beer, doesn't know how he's gonna tell his wife."

Parkie's new friend looked at Parkie intensely, wondering if the fun evening was going to turn into a peer-support session.

Parkie, seeing this consternation, burst out laughing and said,

Doing a little time travel now. Parkie began to feel like this wasn't going to be relaxing after all; it seemed too all about her. What was the bartender looking at her so intently about? And the man at the end, was he crying? Parkie couldn't figure it out and then to her embarassement [i.e. part of life] , she coughed just as the carbonation was doing something with pressure in her throat and out came this humiliating, out of control, part laughing part burp sound, which she quickly steered into a pathetic real laugh.

"excuse me, but the bubbles from this Coca Cola just tickled the heck out of my nose and throat."

And now she needed to swallow the peanuts that followed. Parkie's world was becoming increasingly more like safety than any, and she knew her evenings out anywhere [let alone a bar] could be numbered. "I wouldn't want to be looking at my facial expression or musculature right now", Parkie thought with a munch, but indeed, she had two pretty intense fellows looking at her very closely....eiyee I'm getting a big feeling of getting closed in................socially, the people had to be the right ones, and Parkie thought, " its been fun seeing who stuck it out with her." And with that she spilled her drink.

There is irony in the two main threads going on here. This one seems to have run its course so I wanted to make a few observations.

Parkie has big problems socially. Others may be thinking about good looking guys, or other more normal social activities, Parkie mainly has one to think about - keeping on her feet, avoiding accidents, feeling stupid and conspicuous, and now not choking on her peanuts, especially since she spilled her coke. If the thread continued, that pattern would have become obvious.

We have social and cognitive problems, along with such increasingly difficult motor symptoms, that eventually keep us at home. Getting through a day can be hard work.

I don't see much of a solution to Parkie's problems. There isn't one. There is a solution to the problem on the forum. Hope it emerges today. Then we can get back to the business of solving Parkie's problem.

The story didn't start out to demonstrate anything. It just went along naturally; the pattern jumped out all by itself.


sincerely,
paula

Sometimes there is a train of actions and reactions that are not in an obvious mode of communication. You are very insightful. People are not easy to understand, and why we try, it can be more than hard until I remember this little quote by Samuel Butler

"People are lucky and unlucky not according to what they get absolutely, but according to the ratio between what they get and what they have been led to expect."

And there we have it. I think there is, at least in here, a generation or two, of too much reality. I 'd love to know how many of you were enrolled in extra curricular activities starting at age 3?

I am serious but not criticizing it, an observation, anyone is welcome to broaden the picture in here a bit and then you might even get to where you tried to .....to......ORGANIZE or CONTROL it.

Then you get flattened with a frying pan. And rightfully so. Therefore , I declare equal rights for the funny bones. THey still work for me!

paula