“Optimism is a choice, but in a way, it isn’t,” he says. “There’s no other choice. I don’t think there’s any other viable choice than to hope for the best and work toward it.”
Family Ties was one of my favourite comedy shows from the 80’s. It was funny, heartwarming, and promoted good values. It reflected the move, in the US, from the cultural liberalism of the 60’s and 70’s to a more conservative 80’s. This was expressed through the character of Michael J. Fox playing Alex P. Keaton, a young republican, continually at odds with his ex-hippie parents.
Michael J. Fox, a Canadian actor, also famous for his role in Back to the Future, has written a series of memoirs about his journey with Parkinson’s disease which he was diagnosed with in 1991 at age 29. What I love about his books is the optimistic good humour, and an attitude of gratitude despite personal challenges. He also speaks about his acting career which could have been thwarted by his illness, but again, he found ways to pivot and make it work, even if he is now limited to roles of someone with a neurological disorder. One thing he freely admits, is that he has been blessed with resources and the support of his family.
Joking with his father-in-law, Fox apologises for being so much on the ‘sick’ side of his marriage vows (in sickness and in health). His father-in-law quips that at least he has fallen on the correct side of “for richer or for poorer!” 🙂 In an earlier memoir, Fox said he was grateful for his diagnosis of a major illness because it caused him to makes choices that shocked him out of an unhealthy downward spiral. In this memoir his trademark optimism is sorely tested by further serious illness and the reality of aging and mortality. Still he carries on with the one-liners. For Fox the struggle is real and and I respect him for not sugar coating anything–his optimism is hard-won, and his stories funny and captivating.
He also has been unwaveringly supported by his wife of 30 years, Tracy Pollan, who played Alex’s girlfriend in Family Ties. I just found out that she has a famous brother–see below! Fox is the doting father of 4 children. Here he introduces his faithful dog Gus on CBS: click here.
Fun fact:
Fox’s wife Tracy Pollan has just published a cookbook with her mother and three siblings called “Mostly Plants: 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family.” Her brother Michael Pollan wrote The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defence of Food about healthy food choices, and is the one who made these seven words famous, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Flexitarian sounds wonderfully non-restrictive (mostly plants)–if you want or need a little meat or dairy in your life, just go for it!
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