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How has Parkinson’s changed your outlook on work?
Work and career can be closely tied to independence, purpose, and self-image.
How has your career or sense of purpose changed as you’ve adapted to living with Parkinson’s?
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4 Replies
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In my case, work and career was VERY closely tied to my independence. I stayed in my field (as a therapist) as long as I could. PD robbed me of my vocational future. I stopped working three years after my diagnosis. Since then, the term “career” has lost all meaning and I find myself wondering how I might manage being a stay-at-home dad of three children in their twenties (all on the spectrum). I find myself not coping well at all at times. My new normal has changed my purpose in life entirely. I reckon this journey is going to be a huge challenge defining what this “new normal” might look like. And how it might choose to define me into the future.
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Hi Alan, thank you for sharing. It sounds incredibly heavy to carry the loss of a career that meant so much to your identity, while also navigating the ongoing demands and love of being there for your children. The way you’re reflecting on purpose and this “new normal” shows a lot of courage, even in the midst of not coping well at times. As you think about what lies ahead, are there any small moments, roles, or parts of your day that still give you a sense of meaning or connection, even if they look very different than before?
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Ally, your reply of April 10, 2026 is quite profound. I wish I had a equally profound response. Can I say I’ve even arrived at any sense of this notion? I suspect it comes down to “noticing” what moments, roles, or parts of my day bring about hope eternal. My sense of life’s purpose seems to have faded into the background. But there are moments, for instance, when I listen to a song that takes me back to moments in my life that remind me of how rich life was back then.
Micheal J. mentions in his book “No Time like the Future”, (2020) he was awakened to the truth that [his] “gratitude, his optimism, had been hijacked by fear”! [p. 199] Michael also reminds his readers of the early homily… “the opposite of fear is faith“. In that recognition, he remarks “fear’s opposite can be expressed as gratitude” — in my case, what was can be no more — but what can be, presents the fertile potential of the “new normal” I seek.
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Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Alan. I think being present – truly present – in the midst of fear, uncertainty, or really any kind of complex situation is a challenge, and it’s worth celebrating when you notice these small but powerful moments in every day life. 🙂 It’s something I’m working on, anyway.
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