Book Blurb
Shortly after receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis, Dr. Ken Hoppmann embarked on a 100-day writing journey. In his daily reflections on life with Parkinson's Disease, the author captures a wide range of emotions and addresses many practical concerns for moving forward. Set in a largely unedited and extemporaneous fashion, Hoppmann's reflections explore ideas as they present themselves in his daily experience. The author's daily writing invites the reader to interact with towering thinkers of the past as well as sharing in the humble experiences of one person trying to make sense of his new limitations. Written with a refreshing level of transparency and honesty, these daily reflections offer a thoughtful and hopeful reading experience for anyone navigating life after a challenging diagnosis.
Table of Contents
- July 31: Habits, boundaries of the project, practicing piano.
- Aug. 1: Words we say to ourselves: should, want to, try, will.
- Aug. 2: Santa, elf, cookie…game at Christmas and then in August. Diagnosis.
- Aug. 3: Diagnosis and Frankl's meaning of life.
- Aug. 4: Dr. Frankl; logotherapy; music in my life; sharing music was my life's purpose.
- Aug. 5: Dr. Frankl; what we take from the world adds meaning to our life.
- Aug. 6: Dr. Frankl; what matters; story about daughter's eyes and which one mattered.
- Aug. 7: Dr. Frankl; what matters; my books and their life after I'm done with them.
- Aug. 8: Working with Parkinson's; challenges; first day of the semester.
- Aug. 9: Weeding out old books and materials from Beatrice office and classroom.
- Aug. 10: Conversation with my brother; catastrophizing; Nephew's trip to Thailand.
- Aug. 11: Parkinson's low energy; limitations; persevering; receiving positive blessings.
- Aug. 12: Micrographia: play with words.
- Aug. 13: Parkinson's symptoms: balance; keeping our lives balanced.
- Aug. 14: More unrefined ideas about balance.
- Aug. 15: Parkinson's exhaustion; change plans to work within the boundaries of my energy level.
- Aug. 16: Daily tasks with Parkinson's; college; city mission drop off; energy level boundaries.
- Aug. 17: Thinking about my work versus doing my work; Bruce Lee quote; make a concrete step.
- Aug. 18: No energy; day to just rest and exist; more to write tomorrow.
- Aug. 19: 100-day journey; ideas for future projects; thinking and working at the computer.
- Aug. 20: Words matter; labels; disabled; sick; differently abled.
- Aug. 21: Exhilarating first day of semester; pronounced limp; worried about worsening limp.
- Aug. 22: Managing day-to-day life with Parkinson's; small changes; big benefits.
- Aug. 23: Busy, challenging weekend with showers, company and many activities.
- Aug. 24: Bodily breach of trust; my body has let me down, now we need to build back trust.
- Aug. 25: First time speaking out loud about my 100-day project; accountability of talking about it.
- Aug. 26: Wedding showers; choir gang; older and younger generation; learn from our kids.
- Aug. 27: Dates of my initial Parkinson's diagnosis and journey; travelling with Parkinson's. Good initial recounting.
- Aug. 28: Cardiometabolic team appointment; I feel healthy despite everything else.
- Aug. 29: Anthropology; enculturation and acculturation; family celebrations; culture with Parkinson's.
- Aug. 30: Drs. Sachs and Freud; psychic determinism; brains working at a subconscious level. Vienna book.
- Aug. 31: End-of-first-month assessment; thinking vs. doing; themes in writing; purpose of the project.
- Sep. 1: Trip to the library. Dr. Sachs' book Awakenings. Dopamine.
- Sep. 2: Outside cleanup with Parkinson's; adjustments to plans due to Parkinson's.
- Sep. 3: Awakenings; more about living with Parkinson's; Levadopa side effects. Balance.
- Sep. 4: Apathy and low motivation; low dopamine; getting started with projects.
- Sep. 5: Amount of Levodopa I take daily; too much or just right; KY senator and Awakenings.
- Sep. 6: Dr. Sachs Awakenings; Parkinson's freezing; L-dopa; too much or just right?
- Sep. 7: Initiating vs. responding due to dopamine levels; Grandson's birthday and preparations; guilt.
- Sep. 8: Music therapy; Dr. Sachs; Awakenings; thinking/doing dichotomy; personal music therapy.
- Sep. 9: Art festival; walking with click track; Dr. Sachs; success with art and music therapy.
- Sep. 10: 6-week assessment of writing project; goals for remaining two months.
- Sep. 11: Beethoven Heiligenstadt Testament; work with music materials; inspiration.
- Sep. 12: Dopamine and motivation to do things; Brother and activities he enjoys.
- Sep. 13: Parkinson's Dance class; benefits; description.
- Sep. 14: Dr. Sachs kinetic melody and stutter; Parkinson's Dance class; music students; movement.
- Sep. 15: Busy weekend; many activities and low energy; difficulty walking.
- Sep. 16: Really busy; everything is challenging, but good therapy; lots of activity details.
- Sep. 17: Mid-point in writing project; busy life and managing energy levels; positive blessings.
- Sep. 18: Article on blindness; disability vs. enability; terminology; environment dictates; disability identity.
- Sep. 19: Blindness article; labels; disability vs. enability; continuation; very good points.
- Sep. 20: Dopamine increases; Dr. Huberman; obsession with hobbies can increase dopamine.
- Sep. 21: Is my obsession with dopamine providing a dopamine boost?
- Sep. 22: Bradykinesia and sloth; introduction to slow movements; music by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart.
- Sep. 23: It's called fishing, not catching; journey/destination dichotomy.
- Sep. 24: Parkinson's; seeing a friend at church; does it affect my ability to play the piano?
- Sep. 25: Rough day; low energy/motivation; post about how I feel.
- Sep. 26: World music; music as a tool for healing; music therapy.
- Sep. 27: Dance for Parkinson's; more about healing effects of music and dance.
- Sep. 28: Hyperaware of my gait; work on click track; Parkinson's is always present; daughter job.
- Sep. 29: Social media; Your most unusual Parkinson's symptom; Negative, horrible answers; Feed Me, Seymour! What do we choose to ingest?
- Sep. 30: Relearn how to walk; analysis of steps required to walk; very detailed.
- Oct. 1: Assessing my progress with the 100-day project; discipline of writing.
- Oct. 2: Obsession with dopamine; dopamine boosts with activities we love; surprise outcomes. Whining about wine.
- Oct. 3: Self-care day; vaccinations and relaxation.
- Oct. 4: Not feeling well; stayed home from dance; gift of time; Alexander Technique.
- Oct. 5: More thinking than writing; Alexander Technique; interview with PWP; disturbing.
- Oct. 6: Walking difficulty; Alexander Technique; proprioception; experiment with walking.
- Oct. 7: Grandson's final football game; my football accomplishments as Grandpa; comparisons between my journey and his football season.
- Oct. 8: Assessing my progress with the 100-day project; discipline of writing.
- Oct. 9: Moving into Fall; change of seasons and circadian rhythms; manage energy and Parkinson's.
- Oct. 10: Words we use; “quick” “run and get something” etc.
- Oct. 11: Managing life with Parkinson's; cancelled haircut and dance to go to Seward; analysis.
- Oct. 12: Support of friends; lunch with a friend; click track for walking; difficulty and analysis.
- Oct. 13: Einstein—have curiosity; make life worth living; brother moving into his house; transitions.
- Oct. 14: Motivation in short supply; dopamine; daughter deliveries; require motivation; goals.
- Oct. 15: Pensive planning for wedding and Vienna; how will Parkinson's affect those experiences.
- Oct. 16: Take Parkinson's one day at a time. Enjoy the good days. What is a good day?
- Oct. 17: Walking journey and destination; practicing walking around the house; ponderous.
- Oct. 18: Driving concerns; Parkinson's community; dance class; ailment group.
- Oct. 19: Energy reserves; management of daily activities.
- Oct. 20: Beautiful day; cleaned out garage; energy reserves; management of daily activities.
- Oct. 21: Seasons of the year; seasons of our lives; activities no longer occupy those seasons.
- Oct. 22: Nietzsche—“When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.” Very insightful reflection.
- Oct. 23: Rest and sleep; good days and bad days; plans for final stretch.
- Oct. 24: Update on slow movement project within a project. List of pieces.
- Oct. 25: Assessment of bad vs. good days. What is a bad day? Bad or good portions of a day.
- Oct. 26: Usual days; good vs. bad walking; what happens that I walk well?
- Oct. 27: More on graceful walking amidst bad walking; assessment of walking movements.
- Oct. 28: Reflections on the writing process; storytelling vs. literary work; where to go from here.
- Oct. 29: Questions of format for writing project; literary arts vs. storytelling.
- Oct. 30: Friend's fundraiser; small ways to help through music; Parkinson's organizations.
- Oct. 31: Physical fatigue; writing project; Parkinson's heavy cross to bear; positive from it.
- Nov. 1: Gift of time due to cancellation; how do I use time?
- Nov. 2: Positive interaction at fundraiser. Good days are a choice.
- Nov. 3: Gala and wardrobe choices; dopamine; motivation to go out.
- Nov. 4: Why me? Moving from despair to wonder and service.
- Nov. 5: Friend and the book idea; inspiration from generation to generation.
- Nov. 6: Day 99 summary; tying up big ideas; lessons learned.
- Nov. 7: Day 100 final thoughts; grab a hold of life and live with gratitude.