A quiet time of the day

Here I sit once again at 04:30, before the sun has shown its face, listening to the cricket's unmistakable song, which sounds like Mother Nature's attempt at Morse code. I can hear a rooster in the distance making his first call of the day, the alarm clock of the animal world. It is still dark outside, but soon the sun will show its sleepy head and begin to illuminate all that is blanketed in darkness, turning night into day. Another day to struggle through with Parkinson's, my annoying companion; hopefully a good day, with more "ons" than "offs". For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it merely means when the medications are working, (which is referred to as an "on" period) and the times where medications cease to work, rendering the body immobile and unable to function - this is understandably termed an "off" period, almost like someone removing your batteries leaving one like a motionless toy robot. The quiet and stillness of this early hour brings with it a calm that soothes my mind, allowing my body to slowly loosen up from the nightly episodes that leave my body painful and stiff, every movement requiring great energy. The cool morning air refreshingly hits my face as I open the windows. My body is waiting for 06:00 when I start my daily regime of tablets, that first dopamine tablet that sets me off for the day. Having been given two books on Parkinson's to review, I have had a mountain of reading to do, and although it has been very interesting, I am very tired. I love to read, have always loved books, but now find reading for long periods of time very difficult. I will leave you here for today, and hope wherever you are in the world, you find a tranquil peaceful time that is yours alone, to quietly contemplate or meditate, before the day's busy schedule takes over.

This week's article on The Huffington Post is about bullying. Now you very well may ask what has bullying got to do with Parkinson's or ill health. If you'd like to know, please take a moment of your time to read "Put a Stop to Bullying".