Karma's a Hell of a Thing

I think the Cosmic Hand of Serves You Right is about to smite me upside the head. Over the past six months I've developed balance problems serious enough that I even fell down the stairs in front of my apartment once. Whilst I wait to get into my doctor next week I've been doing some research. I should tell you that when I was nine years old my hands began to shake when I tried to do things like hold a pencil or pour a glass of water or anything else that needed some dexterity. This was diagnosed as Essential Tremor, and I've dealt with it the last 36 years by developing strange-looking yet effective ways of performing tasks that most people take for granted. I assumed the head tremor that showed up ten years ago was just exhaustion or stress. I can't ignore the leg tremors, or the fact that my hands and head shake even when I'm rested and relaxed. Even if they had told me at nine years old, I don't know if I'd have understood what it meant when a syndrome is "progressive." As a kid I always made fun of my shaking hands before the other kids got a chance. Karma's a hell of a thing.