Michael J Fox

It has been about a year ago that Michael J Fox and Dr. Oz where on Oprah's show talking about Parkinson's. He is such an inspiration and optimist despite the daily challenges he faces due to Parkinson's disease. He talked about how his life has changed for the better. His marriage is stronger, he became a writer and has met a lot of people he otherwise wouldn't have, and he lives in the present moment. He is a reminder to me that there are some things you can't control, but a whole lot more that you can. We decide what our attitude is going to be. I can get easily overwhelmed and let a small irritation ruin my day. I have gotten better at recognizing when I do this and try to put things in perspective. I am a work in progress, and it's stories like Michael's that help put me in my place. For example, today I rushed to get to my son's track meet at 3:15 and his first event wasn't until 4:45 followed by a 5:30 event. I immediately thought of all of the other things I could have been doing. On the bright side, I was able to visit with friends and it was a sunny afternoon even though there was a chill in the air. I also thought of my friend who was undergoing a double mastectomy this afternoon, and how she would have switched places with me in a heartbeat. We can learn a lot from other peoples research and life experiences, but in the meantime we can't forget to live ourselves.