What Does "Falling Up" mean?

  I like tattoos. So much so that I have more than one.In fact, I have quite a few all of which serve as sort of a "would you like to add a location to this post?" in the time line of my existence.One of my favorites is Japanese, which when translated into English says "fall seven times: get up eight". It's a reminder etched into my skin for all time to serve as a personal reminder of a life lesson I try to achieve to the best of my abilities. For every time you fall, get up again. Wow, that's good stuff. I'm not sure if it was Confucius or one of those other really smart guys that first said it centuries ago, but whoever it was really had it all together.
  I fall. I fall a lot. You might be thinking "of course you fall, you have PD", but I'm not just talking physically here. Mentally and spiritually I fall a lot too. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you fall also. Don't deny it. It's human nature. We fall when we are learning to walk, learning to run, learning to ride a bike etc. But we keep getting back up.Why? Is it also in our nature to keep getting up when we get an ouchie? I'm also going to say that you have days when the whole world is riding your ass and when you get home , it's all you can do to keep it together. Maybe, sometimes you don't keep it together. Maybe you scream obscenities out into the cosmos, or maybe you just sit down for a good cry. Don't deny that either, it's also in our nature, and as far as I'm concerned that's ok too. But you get up again.
  I don't know about you, but when I fall (physically and emotionally),  I feel like EVERYONE is watching. My actions amplified a thousand times for all to critique. Sometimes I feel like the ant that is moments away from getting crispified by some kid focusing sun light through a magnifying glass. I feel scared. Don't you? Don't you feel like EVERYONE is watching?
  Recently I went ice skating and I fell down (of course you fell down, you have PD). Wait a minute. Just so we can be clear on the subject and move on. PD had nothing to do with the fall. However, the ruts in the ice left by the the millions of other other skaters that day, had everything to do with the fall. Maybe it wasn't quite millions of skaters that day, but when you fall.....EVERYONE is watching. My skate hit a nice little groove in the ice causing the front of said skate to dig into the ice and down I went. Stupid toe pick. Now, as far as falls go, I believe it was a perfect execution worthy of Olympic status. EVERYONE who saw, will tell the tales of this magnificent and eloquent meeting with the ice for generations to come. I rose from my face down, spread eagle formation feeling vindicated that I got up. Remember: Fall seven times, get up eight.
  Three hours later I am in the ER being told my arm was about to receive the gift of a cast because I had chipped, or broken, or something else not comfortable to the bones in my wrist. My biggest fear since my dx was ever having to be in a cast. I dreaded the day my muscles would start trying to tango while surrounded by cement. I was afraid. I let loose with an onslaught of profanity which I'm sure was heard by EVERYONE. I had fallen to a new low. Now, I'm not about to admit that the idea of the cast caused a few tears. After all, I'm a grown man. So I sat there with Barbara in the ER waiting for the mummifiers to come back and... I cried. Damn it. Just admitted it. Oh well, moving on then shall we?
  Being in the cast has not been a joy ride to say the least. I suppose I can scratch it off my bucket list. Oh yeah, it was never on it! Now EVERYONE is asking "what happened"?. I broke my arm, duh. Moving on again, shall we?
  I have fallen many times in my life. I have hit ludicrous lows. But each time I got up. Why should this time be any different? I'm in a cast. I can't change that. I can however, choose my attitude towards the situation. I can learn from it, feel it, and yes indeed- I can appreciate doing things with two arms.
  When we fall, why should we look at it as falling down? We all have a choice how we face everything in our lives. To me the word "down" seems to have negativity associated with it. I don't like it. So, when I fall, I try to learn and grow. I like the word "up" it's a happy word; a learning word. I guess since we all have a choice, I choose to fall up instead of down. Falling Up is learning as I grow. It's about not only getting up physically from the fall, but getting up mentally. Choosing up, instead of down.
  That ancient Japanese guy who came up with the slogan I have inked on my chest definitely had it right. I think he also chose to Fall Up.