How do I describe a Fox to a Cat?

I talked to Cat today.  She is my Twitter friend who is blind.  Cat had a birthday recently, she is 25 and I am almost 52, but when we talk or Tweet, I don't feel any age difference.  Maybe it's because the numbers are the same?

Cat wearing sunglasses

I often wonder what she looks like and I have a picture in my head.  Her Mom could send me a photo and then I would know for sure, but even though my "face" is all over in this blog, Cat can only guess what I look like. 

Despite the fact that I am old enough to be her Mom and we live on opposite sides of the country and I have Parkinson's Disease and she is blind, we have a lot in common.

We hate it when people feel sorry for us, being blind is normal for her and being a Parkie is now normal for me, so please help us get up if we fall down, but don't feel sorry for us.  

We don't understand people who whisper behind our backs, things like "Oh, I think she's blind" or "Look at her arm jerking".  Hey, you rude morons, we are NOT DEAF!

We think political correctness has gone too far.  She's blind, not visually challenged and I'm a Parkie, not movement challenged.  

We both have bad days but prefer to laugh them off and have fun and we both sing, though I think she can actually carry a tune. 

Cat is curious about Parkinson's and I answer all her questions as best I can.  One of the funniest questions she asked me was "Could a person with Parkinson's guide a blind person?"  She had read about my dyskinesia and wondered whether a Parkie would be able to steer her safely.  I laughed and promised that I would not "guide" her into a telephone pole and that I only wobble sometimes.  

One of the hardest questions she asked was "Can you describe what Mr. Fox (Michael J) looks like?"  Now folks, this is the truth, I am the least observant person I know.  A good friend shaved his beard off and I did not notice.  I don't notice new glasses or haircuts.  I can't even tell you what my Wonderful Husband is wearing and I just ate lunch with him sitting right across from me.  So, describing Mr. Fox was going to be a challenge. 

I found a video of him doing a recent TV guest spot and I paused it on a close up of him.  I described the shape of his face, nose, mouth and eyes.  I said he was short and still looked like a 20-something kid.  I described his hair as straight and it was in a normal man's style.  She wrote back and said that now she knows exactly what he looks like.  It's a good thing, because if I had to describe him right now, to a sketch artist, the drawing might come out looking like this!

 

Cat calls me her Parkie Guide and I like it.  Only problem is people keep asking her what kind of dog a Parkie is.  I always thought of myself as a cat or a horse, not a dog, but I can bark if needed.  Woof!

PS Look up Cat on Twitter and say hello, she is @song_bird1987.

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!