Columns

I sit at my desk in the window watching as cottonwood trees release their fluffy snowballs of spring. A car passes at a snail’s pace, yet fast enough to set this phenomenon into motion like a soft, harmless tornado dancing in circles. It reminds me how Winnie the Pooh…

“Be one with the moment.” Hogwash! I can’t be one with the darkness. Yet, I do understand the power of the darkness for shaping my behaviors. I see the darkness as pure survival and protection against possible threats. It is a hyper-focus on self-survival along with unhealed battle wounds…

Neo, the neocortex of Dr. C’s brain mentioned in previous columns, exclaims, “That was amazing, Dr. C, to watch Mrs. Dr. C apply the healing relationship, and poof, you’re all better!” Neo was referring to last week’s column, in which Dr. C emerged from a long period of darkness…

I received my Parkinson’s diagnosis five years ago. I fully intended to attack it head-on, starting with exercise. Parkinson’s is not for wimps. Dancing was an important part of my plan but I needed more. The first step of my plan was to find a personal trainer. I…

The other day, my husband and I were discussing the decisions we’ve made in our lives. We also talked about dreams and goals, and in my case, the dreams and goals I thought I never made. I haven’t usually been one to dream. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’ve convinced…

“Yuck! It peed all over me,” my granddaughter exclaimed as she released the toad back into the forest. “That’s just his natural defense mechanism,” her father replied. Like the toad, we also have our natural defense mechanisms. They are automatically called upon when a threat is perceived, real or not.

Living with Parkinson’s disease is a daily battle. It can be difficult to navigate the disease on your own, but the right resources can make staying informed a little easier. Since many Parkinson’s patients experience tremors on a regular basis, audiobooks and podcasts may be helpful in lieu of books…

In the book “Talking to Strangers,” author Malcolm Gladwell posits that we are lousy at knowing the intent of strangers. We have no better success than chance in determining whether someone is lying or telling the truth. One explanation is called truth default theory. Simply stated, when meeting…

The feeling of guilt calls to mind the image of a patchwork quilt. Unlike a blanket which is one piece and often uniform in both color and pattern, the quilt is a blend of patches. The patches are all different, each varying in size and color. Some are larger while…

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France Dogs can help as emotional and physical support animals for humans with various disabilities and chronic illnesses, including Parkinson’s. These animals help make life easier for their humans and improve their quality of…