“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21
On one of my more difficult days I frankly asked Hunter {my sweet husband of 54 years), “ What do you get out of this angst?” He cocked his head looking intently in my face and whispered, “One smile. If I can coax one tiny smile onto your face I am happy and fulfilled.”
And believe me he is generally successful, which is quite the feat considering he is married to a straight laced German whose laugh lines are pretty smooth. Yet his goofy Italian stunts are hard to resist!
Case in point:
Last week I had my yearly doctor exam with my general practitioner. At the close of the visit I requested the necessary paperwork to obtain a handicap placard. Since I do not drive anymore it is probably not necessary because Hunter generally drops me off at the door of wherever I want or need to enter. Yet there have been a few times in gusts of wind or rain downpours it would have been less stressful to simply park close then to attempt a quick jog, which I don’t do well, Hunter will run to the truck and have me wait but I generally don’t wait well, so out in the “gulley-washer” I waddle.
(I also should note that since neither of us appear handicapped, on first glance, Hunter HATES to use the dreaded CARD hanging on the mirror!)
To get back to the story :
After the doctor visit we drove to the BMV, filled out the necessary information, and left with the coveted cardboard handicap placard, which I immediately tucked under the insurance papers in the glove compartment.
A few days later, over the busy Memorial week-end we visited our daughter in Rochester, Minnesota. While there we went grocery shopping at the local Hy-Vee. I pulled the placard out of its resting place, excited to try out this little gem, while Terri began to park the truck. Instead of near the front glass door Hunter directs his daughter to park in the furthest possible parking space in the entire business?? “What are you doing?” I question. He looks at his daughter and laughs,”This is how you use handicapped placards in Minnesota!”
As I smile he reminds me that PwPs are suppose to exercise and this is my exercise today! it is not quite so funny as we wheel a cart full of groceries back to the car when done shopping. To add just a bit more humor to the outing while Terri loads the groceries in the truck Hunter proceeds to gather up all wayward carts in the entire parking lot as though he was an employee wrapping up his daily chores.
Another smile “quest” accomplished!
I share this silly story to encourage each of you , both PwPs (People with Parkinson Disease) and care-givers to smile at least once an hour and laugh at least once a day.
It’s a gift from God.
I recently read in a Parkinson brochure “Laughter provides significant benefits for Parkinson’s disease, aiding in both coping strategies and symptom management. In addition, it helps to manage stress,”
So fellow PwPs lets take in a funny movie or smile at a corny joke, and know we just swallowed some of God’s good medicine!
P.S. Today, before blog publication, we were in Target buying hair product for me when I heard Hunter imitating a male moose as he “hunted” for the can of mousse!
Another day of smiles!!!
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