When you've lived long enough to have a little age on you, and to show a little wear and tear around the edges, something happens inside you that makes you want to give advice and share what you've learned over the years. Unfortunately, not everyone receives it well! When I was young, I don't remember placing importance and respect on all the advice available to me from my older relatives and acquaintances. I wish I could go back and do that differently.
So if anyone would listen, what would I tell them?
To some of my family members, I would say be kind and tolerant. You don't have to be abrasive to make your point. It's okay, and even good, to have your own strong opinions on current issues, but remember there are many good people out there who do not, and never will, share your viewpoint. They're still good people. It's not our job to argue and beat them down until they are cowered in a corner with no choice but to pretend to go along with you. Let your natural sweet self shine through. Be more concerned for other people's personal well-being than you are about whether they agree with you.
To others in my family, I would simply say there is only one true God Jehovah, and you will one day stand before Him. When you do, all the things of this life will fall away as unimportant and meaningless. Whether or not you believe it has no bearing on whether it's true. Now is the time to prepare for your eternity.
To my insistent customers at work--those who leave me a message at 7 PM and call again at 10 AM the next morning wondering why I haven't returned their call yet....you are not my only customer. Your file is important, but today it might not be the MOST important one on my desk. There's only one of me, and you have no idea of my workload. Relax..just a little, at least!
There are those people who use Facebook and other social media as their own personal venue for incendiary and deliberately controversial comments. Please stop it! You're ruining a good thing, spreading ugliness in the world, and baiting people into showing their darker selves.
To young people trying to figure out who to be and how to act: be yourself....always! Whether it's a job interview or a date, if you put on an act and you actually get the job (or the second date), it won't last. Eventually, your employer or your date will find out who you really are. You'll crash and burn.
To Christians who sit in restaurants long after closing and leave inadequate tips: please don't tell the servers you are Christians -- you're giving the rest of us a bad name.
I would like to advise some of my family to be less narrow. Being well-read is a good thing, but when you only read sources that support your own viewpoint, you're closing your mind more and more every day, not opening it, or expanding your horizons. Don't be afraid to read and consider other viewpoints. It will make you stronger!
So, I've given out all my good advice for the day.
Now I'll tell you what advice I'd like to receive:
- How do you live with this disease?
- How do you afford to go on disability? Do you have to sell all you hold dear and move out of your beloved home just to quit work and have more good years?
- Is that trade-off worth it?
- How do you simplify your life to the point that you can manage it when you get home at night?
- How do you live with the guilt of what you're doing to your spouse, as they are forced into the role of caregiver?
- Is there happiness in spite of PD?
Ouch! Asking for that advice was a little more painful than I thought it was going to be! If you have answers for me on any of those questions, please comment. I'd love to hear from you.
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