I suppose everyone has some kind of talent within them, even if we don’t always recognise it. My Mum was, I think, a very talented artist and I have quite a few of her paintings on my walls. I’m afraid that particular talent has definitely skipped this generation. At least it definitely seems to have skipped me. My daughter and her daughters, however, are very good at drawing and my daughter is great at crafts. My son is very musical and so far, his young sons might be a bit young to know fully where their particular talents lie. I look forward to finding out!
For me, my gift if you like, is poetry. I have always written poems since I started school and remember writing my first poem at age 5 about spring lambs. They are not complicated or high brow. They are the sort of poems I knew growing up. Poems that rhyme. Poems that have rhythm and usually more than a little bit of humour sprinkled amongst them.
It has always been something I enjoy, writing poems, but there have been times when I have not written any poems for perhaps years. I might have been inspired to write a poem for a special occasion for someone special in my life, but not very often. The strange thing is that since I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s I have written more poems in the past 2.5 years of diagnosis than I have written in years. Particularly in the past year, I have found myself writing poems very frequently, sometimes only weeks go by between writing.
I was talking to someone at work the other day about this and they made a comment that sometimes people with Neurological disorders, such as autism or other conditions may have some challenges in life, but may be blessed with artistic talent, or musical talents that can be quite incredible.
I wonder whether this is what is happening to me. Rather than robbing me of my words, perhaps Parkinson’s has gifted me the most wonderful gift of sharpening my skills in writing poetry? If so, I am incredibly grateful. I have written a few poems for people I work with in recent times for special occasions they have had. I’m pleased to say they have been well received and it feels good to do something special for them with their own personalised poem.
My abilities with words have always been important to me and one of my biggest fears is losing that ability. If Parkinson’s has helped me to be a better poet, then I am incredibly pleased it is so.
As a condition that ultimately takes away from us, anything that it can give me that is positive and life enhancing is definitely a bonus!
My journey with Parkinsons 