WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SLACKER?

You know, there's something that always causes me to question whether I should be doing something different.  I ask myself whether I'm a slacker; whether I'm wallowing in self-pity and letting Parkinson's and bipolar diminish my motivation.  What am I talking about you ask.

 Well, it goes like this.  Pat Summit, the head basketball coach for the Lady Tennessee Vols recently was diagnosed with early onset dementia.  She's only 59 years old.  But Coach Summit isn't going to permit her diagnosis get in the way of basketball, coaching, and living life.  She made it clear she doesn't want anybody's pity.  By gosh, she's going go keep coaching for as long as she can.  The author of the article that describes her situation (I've included the link) said this:

           [H]ow brutal is it that a woman of such accomplishment, wisdom

           and impact might have her career cut short, robbing any number

          of players that would’ve enjoyed her guidance.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball/news?slug=dw-dementia_diagnosis_wont_stop_summitt_082311

Well, now I feel pretty crappy about myself. I have Parkinson's dementia.  It impacts my memory, though not severely - yet.  It impacts my ability to call up words to express myself.  And I'm younger than than Ms. Summit.  I'm nowhere near as accomplished as Ms. Summit.  I don't have all of the awards she does.  No one is lamenting over the number of young people who will not benefit from my influence. Most importantly, however, I no longer practice law or even work full time and I've never declared that I intend to do so.

So, what does that say about me?  Am I a slacker?  Am I just trying to seek pity?  What do other people think about me?  If Ms. Summit can declare she won't be deterred by dementia, why am I letting my maladies affect what I do? Frankly, she's making me look bad.

On the other hand, there's Steve Kragthorpe, the former Offensive Coordinator for the Louisiana State University Tigers.  When he recently learned that he had Parkinson's, he immediately stepped down as OC and assumed responsibility for coaching the team's quarterbacks.  He says that he hopes that he has 8 to 12 years to coach QBs before he must step down from football altogether. 
http://footballschedule.me/lsu-oc-steve-kragthorpe-steps-down-after-parkinsons-diagnosis.php 

The team's head coach commented that he was happy to see Steve take a proactive approach to his disease.

Now, I don't know what is proactive about stepping down from his job as the Tiger's OC coach.  It might lessen his stress.  It might require less of Coach Kragthorpe cognitively to be a quarterback coach.  We really don't know why he stepped down.  I'm ashamed to admit, though, that I'm glad he did.  I can point to him as justification for what I'm doing - or not doing.

I don't have an answer.  I believe that everyone's situation is different (e.g., my bipolar plays into my Parkinson's situation).  I believe that not everyone has a  situation or job where they can stay no matter how far their Parkinson's progresses like Coach Summit.  What about a neurosurgeon who cannot control tremors?  Is he a slacker because he must stop performing the delicate surgeries he used to perform?  Is he to be judged unkindly because he elects not to do something else?  Personally, I don't fault him for not wanting to do something his hands can do if his heart isn't in it.  In addition, he might be considering his age and his financial situation.  I don't know and people out there who do and who don't have Parkinson's don't know either.

We also don't know what kind of support system Coach Summit has in place.  Is there someone to do everything for her other than coaching, so that she can maximize her sleep?  Does she have a chef who can provide a menu that includes all of the good brain foods, such as spinach, salmon, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and other dark fruits and vegetables, that she should be eating? Is there an "assistant" coach right beside her at all times, helping her make important decisions on the court when she cannot remember?  I don't know, so maybe I ought not to be so hard on her for making me look bad.

Here's what I do know: I'm being easier on them, particularly on Coach Kragthorpe, than I am on me.  Kragthorpe isn't a slacker.  He's doing what he thinks is right for him.  The fictitious surgeon is doing what he thinks is best for him - I can't do anything but make that assumption.

So, am I a slacker?  Well, I won't permit myself to say "no" until I've examined and decided that what I am doing is best for me.  I hope that I can cut myself some slack.  I'll let you know.


Gayle