{"id":2803,"date":"2022-06-06T19:12:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/?p=2803"},"modified":"2022-06-06T19:30:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T19:30:20","slug":"recovery-june-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/2022\/06\/06\/recovery-june-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Recovery – June I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wednesday, June 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few of our favorite cats were let roam the piazza this morning – always a treat. The one we call\u00a0Il Sindaco\u00a0<\/em>(the mayor) put in an appearance for the first time in weeks. Rumor is that he has been on a much-needed vacation at Lago di Bolsena. This has not been independently confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My walking was okay, quite a bit of it on was my own. An Alexander lesson followed. The big discovery there was that after having attained a nicely relaxed state, all the tension will reappear after a few words spoken aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our evening on the sagrato was accompanied by what seemed like a girls’ gymnastics team; ten year olds doing cartwheels, and handstands, and backbends. I, on the sagrato’s other end, tried semi-successfully to walk on my own with a minimum of scraping shoe sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m tired of my routine, tonight. It’s about 20:30 which means a movie plus an episode of \u201cRita\u201d (\u201cRita\u201d is a Danish series set in a public school. Almost everyone is so blonde it hurts, but the writing and acting are good.) Most of the movies (previously unknown to me) have been good, too, but when they are not, they are horrible. Fortunately, I’ve learned to spot the bad ones pretty quickly. But what I really want to do is to join friends for an aperativo<\/em>, followed by a light dinner and a concert. Then to round things off with a slow stroll home at midnight. This evening I feel like that will never happen again, and it makes me sad. I need an events buddy who can mobility assist at least once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday, June 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today was a holiday honoring Italy’s decision to drop the monarchy and become a republic, and Orvieto was filled with visitors, even on the quiet side of the Duomo’s sagrato. It was also the first day that I noticed the Piazza’s strong and summery evening wind. For most of my walk these elements were threatening distractions. Then the next to the last of I don’t know how many laps (quite a few) something shifted internally and I found a fearlessness and strength that I had previously tried to fake, made real. The change was subtle, but the gait became quiet and the stride became long, and my arms began to swing. The remaining lap was difficult because the many laps we did had made my legs tired, but I know now what to aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, June 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I emphasize walking and typing in these reports because that is what I miss most, but there are many other interior changes going on that may be more important. For example, I am less impatient, less self-absorbed, less arrogant, and more generous with my appreciation. I am more connected to children, more relaxed about affection, more aware of beauty without wanting to own it, more grateful. Less fearful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking today did not meet yesterday’s promise, but I did put in forty minutes pacing the hall at home and in pretty good form. I was woken by a cough that, with accompanying nasal discharge, kept me awake last night for over two hours, and the morning walk never really woke me up. So, I have mixed feelings about the day. I found out that my long-time feline pal, Tito, who lived next door to where I am now, died this past winter at the age of fifteen, so I don’t have to listen for his very loud and insistent cry every time I leave the house. But I will, anyhow. I am deeply grateful that we got to say goodbye, in my lap (for the first time, thanks to the wheelchair) with purrs, last December. And that \u2013 said my lovely neighbor who answered my question about Tito’s whereabouts \u2013 is life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, June 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I slept well but woke wanting more. My first impression upon rising was that today would be good for movement, then bit by bit it was as if my brain reconstructed the disease \u2013 and made it worse \u2013 just to punish me for my optimism. Walking was hard. Drinking from a glass was hard. Changing directions was super hard. Blowing my nose, sitting, and rising \u2013 all were hard. Then after the walk I slept in the recliner for an hour and a half as if I had slept not at all last night. (But I did seem to have discovered the right angle of incline to discourage restless leg syndrome.) Still, after lunch, sitting was uncomfortable enough to propel me into pacing the hall to oil the muscles, and it did help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dear friend Erika writes that she dreamt (or had a vision) of me walking alone on Corso, and that that was my future. Her timing is perfect, and keeps the day from slipping into despair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening was one for the spirit. Walking in the garage was a great escape from the heat, then Natalia took me to four of the many exhibits of the first\u00a0Orvieto<\/a> <\/a>in Fiore<\/a>\u00a0since 2019. The first floral mosaic we saw was in Sant’Andrea \u2013 an image of Saint Francis embracing a figure wearing a surgical mask. I burst into tears. Kudos to the young designers from\u00a0Liceo artistico<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By bedtime, even though movement had not improved, the terrible discomfort that accompanies poverty of movement was gone. Tomorrow is, after all, another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday, June 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discomfort is still on vacation as of early evening. Walking the garage this morning was good. Typing is a struggle, but has been worse. Movement after a long post-lunch nap in the recliner was poverty-stricken indeed, but some pacing and qigong helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allowing the heat outdoors to calm, we left the apartment later than usual and walked the welcome coolness of the garage. Natalia has constructed a beach there for me to imagine, complete with a rowboat made of old wood. Early in our walk she stopped me. \u201cThis is a disease of the brain. The brain is plastic, you can teach it to be different. So teach it healthy habits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something tells me that the PD is actually gone, and what I am dealing with now is reconstruction. Another part of me says I’m a damn fool for thinking that. My Friend tells me to follow my bliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monday, June 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up on my own this morning, and felt more energetic than I have in months, if not years. I got up from the far side of the bed with little effort and sat waiting for Roman, amazed at my strength and agility. By the time we left for the morning walk forty minutes later I was stiff and wobbly. The walk was pretty good but difficult and the next half hour of errands and partaking of morning beverage exhausted me. Once alone after lunch I felt stiffer and less mobile than I have felt in months, if not years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is going on? My Friend repeated last night’s advice; follow your bliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A nap helped energy a bit, but was constantly interrupted by a fly’s landing on my nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come evening, I had an appointment at my dentist’s for a cleaning. On the way back we stopped at Via delle Costituente where we have had many successful walks this spring. I could barely move. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, here’s the thing; I am convinced that the approach The Parkinson’s Recovery Project<\/a> takes is valid and effective, but I am not convinced that I can follow it alone \u2013 without personal and professional guidance. So, lately I’ve been dreaming of somehow returning to Santa Cruz, where the Project is based, to pursue in person treatments with Janice or one of her colleagues. I was dreaming of strolling the beach at Twin Lakes on our way back from Piazza del Popolo when we passed a woman with words of gold emblazoned on her t-shirt: \u201cFollow Your Dreams, they are always right\u201d. In English. We turned onto Corso Cavour to refresh ourselves at my favorite gelateria, but the only table not filled was one with a fellow named Fernando sitting at it, so we asked if he would share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve said hello to Fernando when we pass for three or four years now, but we have never had a conversation. I asked him where he was from. \u201cRome, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz…\u201d When in Santa Cruz? \u201cNineteen seventy four through eight.\u201d He majored in economics and art history at UCSC, and one of his art professors was my landlord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A journey to Santa Cruz would be complex to plan and daunting to make, and may only seem necessary when I feel as I do tonight. But who knows? There might be someone up for a two-month house swap, house sit, or rental. And maybe Roman would see it as an exotic vacation. Puttin’ it out there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, June 1 A few of our favorite cats were let roam the piazza this morning – always a treat. The one we call\u00a0Il Sindaco\u00a0(the mayor) put in an appearance for the first time in weeks. Rumor is that he has been on a much-needed vacation at Lago di Bolsena. This has not been independently … Continue reading Recovery – June I<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recovery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2803"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2809,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2803\/revisions\/2809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidzarko.us\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}