What really matters

is not what I have

but who I am.

I am still me

I am still the same me I was

before you or I knew I had Parkinson’s.

So I thought I got thrown into

a club I don’t want to belong to

but really, I’m no different than anyone

else.

I have learned that everyone

carries something within them,

something that I may or may not know about,

something that I need to respect

and give space and honor to.

The words of Leonard Cohen’s,

“Anthem,”

inspire and guide me every day.

“ …ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

that’s how the light gets in.”