Due to the many medications a
Parkinson's patient finds themselves taking, not to mention a rigorous regime
of exercise, therapy and doctor's appointments which dictate much of one's day,
there is little time to have fun! It's surprising how much of the day is filled
with various activities all centring around Parkinson's whilst we try to live
the best possible quality of life. All this leaves little room for spontaneity
- an important and uplifting addition to everyone's well-being.
Doing something fun, on the
spur of the moment - anything spontaneous lifts one out of a monotonous routine,
and for a short while, Parkinson's retreats and is relegated to the background.
Having recently discovered the
virtues of walking barefoot in the house, and seeing the vast improvement, I
was curious to try walking on the beach, where the sand right at the water's
edge is damp, flat and hard. So with curiosity and spontaneity, my husband and
I grabbed the moment, made some sandwiches, dusted off a bottle of red wine
from the rack and made our way to the beach. There are thankfully quite a
number of disabled parking places right next to the beach, so very little
walking was involved from the car, although initially the sand was quite
difficult and painful for me to wade through, but once on flat damp sand by the
water's edge, I could walk barefoot far easier. I can't tell you the pleasure
and thrill of merely paddling my feet (albeit in 2 cm of water!). I don't
remember the last time I was at the beach - obviously far too long!
We spent the most wonderful
couple of hours watching the sunset, listening to the
waves crashing on the shore, children playing in the sand, people jogging,
walking their dogs; all this lifted our spirits. So whatever you can find to do
together, breaks up a regular routine, brings closeness and puts back some
spark into your lives. Sometimes you just have to
grab life, and do something spontaneous.
Sharing good advice, I have learnt many
useful tips and information from fellow Parkinson's patients, which was my
inspiration for this week's article in The Huffington Post
When I get the rare opportunity to be near to the beach, I find running barefoot at the waters edge very therapeutic and rejuvenating! Your outing sounds like a special evening to savor. Thanks for the spontaneity reminder. As a "planner" I don't take enough advantage of what this offers our lives.
ReplyDelete