Day 5
Every morning, John goes outside to check the garden. This morning, he came in and told me about his adventure. He said that there is a bright green tree frog that is always in the same place each morning. John said that he works right beside the sleeping frog. Its feet stay tucked in under its body and its eyes are tightly closed.
Slowly, very slowly, the frog begins to wake up. First, John notices a toe has peeked out from beneath its body. Then its eyes barely open into thin slits. Another toe can be seen. Eventually, the sleepy frog's eyes are wide open. But still, the frog relaxes in its comfortable bed, barely moving at all.
Today, John noticed that there is now a second little green frog, not far from the first. He is curious to see if this one sleeps in the same place every night.
I am envious of the tree frog. I used to sleep so well. John was the one who had trouble sleeping. Now his hours of sleep easily top mine.
When I was a teen in Army Basic Training, every morning the Sgt would come in to wake us up. It was pitch black in the barracks one moment and the next, a thundering, booming voice would shatter the silence as a brilliant light burned its way past closed lids. A hundred women would jump out of their cots, stumbling and tripping about as they raced the clock. We had about four minutes to get dressed, make our beds properly, lace up our boots, and stand at attention.
Talk about an adrenaline rush!
Parkinson's is like the frog and Sgt rolled up into one crazy morning. I wake up, adrenaline coursing through my veins, hitting every nerve, firing away until the unmistakable internal tremor rises to reveal one finger. Slowly another finger salutes. It's like I had partaken of some strange concoction, a mixture of speed and sleeping pills, resulting in a brain that feels slow and eyes that want to stay closed, while the rest of my body is ready to do a game of Twister before starting a morning workout.
It takes effort to remain calm and relax through this onslaught.
Simultaneously, my insides burn. I have no idea if this is a hangover from the alpha-gal/mast cell-induced gastritis or a gift from Sgt Frog.
I'm awake. So, I thought I'd share this little tidbit of my mornings.
I was too tired to write last night, too tired to sleep. I stayed up until midnight. That seems to be the norm now. The days of dropping off to sleep soundly at 8 or 9 seem to have left me for the foreign fields of yesterdays. Ah ... the memories of blissful, deep sleep. It is comforting that such a possibility was once known by this body.
Anyway, Good Morning Sgt. I am happy to report that yesterday I did an In-Line Scan at the gym. The results were very good. Two months ago, the first scan said that I needed to lose nearly 45 pounds of fat and gain about 7 pounds of lean muscle. Yesterday's scan revealed that I gained nearly 8 pounds of muscle and lost 6 pounds. Not bad. I also found out that despite drinking lots of water, I am very dehydrated. I was advised to add electrolytes and this should fix the problem. Supposedly, it might even help erase the fat and turn it into muscle.
"Hey, Belle. You might want to go check the strawberries. I think some are ready."
"Thanks, John. I'll do that after the meeting."
Isn't it amazing how God created strawberries. They are absolutely brilliant! Sweet morsels with just the right hint of sour, juice squirting and leaving fingers dripping with sugar water. I hope the wild blueberries give us some yummies this year. They are my favorite fruit.
Speaking of strawberries, I read an article yesterday that claimed eating berries daily can help slow the progression of Parkinsons's. Time to get out of bed. Breakfast: two gluten free waffles topped with 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of strawberries, NO syrup, but I think I'll add a tablespoon of peanut butter. YUM Berries!
Slowly, very slowly, the frog begins to wake up. First, John notices a toe has peeked out from beneath its body. Then its eyes barely open into thin slits. Another toe can be seen. Eventually, the sleepy frog's eyes are wide open. But still, the frog relaxes in its comfortable bed, barely moving at all.
Today, John noticed that there is now a second little green frog, not far from the first. He is curious to see if this one sleeps in the same place every night.
I am envious of the tree frog. I used to sleep so well. John was the one who had trouble sleeping. Now his hours of sleep easily top mine.
When I was a teen in Army Basic Training, every morning the Sgt would come in to wake us up. It was pitch black in the barracks one moment and the next, a thundering, booming voice would shatter the silence as a brilliant light burned its way past closed lids. A hundred women would jump out of their cots, stumbling and tripping about as they raced the clock. We had about four minutes to get dressed, make our beds properly, lace up our boots, and stand at attention.
Talk about an adrenaline rush!
Parkinson's is like the frog and Sgt rolled up into one crazy morning. I wake up, adrenaline coursing through my veins, hitting every nerve, firing away until the unmistakable internal tremor rises to reveal one finger. Slowly another finger salutes. It's like I had partaken of some strange concoction, a mixture of speed and sleeping pills, resulting in a brain that feels slow and eyes that want to stay closed, while the rest of my body is ready to do a game of Twister before starting a morning workout.
It takes effort to remain calm and relax through this onslaught.
Simultaneously, my insides burn. I have no idea if this is a hangover from the alpha-gal/mast cell-induced gastritis or a gift from Sgt Frog.
I'm awake. So, I thought I'd share this little tidbit of my mornings.
I was too tired to write last night, too tired to sleep. I stayed up until midnight. That seems to be the norm now. The days of dropping off to sleep soundly at 8 or 9 seem to have left me for the foreign fields of yesterdays. Ah ... the memories of blissful, deep sleep. It is comforting that such a possibility was once known by this body.
Anyway, Good Morning Sgt. I am happy to report that yesterday I did an In-Line Scan at the gym. The results were very good. Two months ago, the first scan said that I needed to lose nearly 45 pounds of fat and gain about 7 pounds of lean muscle. Yesterday's scan revealed that I gained nearly 8 pounds of muscle and lost 6 pounds. Not bad. I also found out that despite drinking lots of water, I am very dehydrated. I was advised to add electrolytes and this should fix the problem. Supposedly, it might even help erase the fat and turn it into muscle.
"Hey, Belle. You might want to go check the strawberries. I think some are ready."
"Thanks, John. I'll do that after the meeting."
Isn't it amazing how God created strawberries. They are absolutely brilliant! Sweet morsels with just the right hint of sour, juice squirting and leaving fingers dripping with sugar water. I hope the wild blueberries give us some yummies this year. They are my favorite fruit.
Speaking of strawberries, I read an article yesterday that claimed eating berries daily can help slow the progression of Parkinsons's. Time to get out of bed. Breakfast: two gluten free waffles topped with 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of strawberries, NO syrup, but I think I'll add a tablespoon of peanut butter. YUM Berries!