Do the things you want to do
A reminder that life is about actively doing the things you want to do, whether you have Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease, something else unpleasant or a clean bill of health
Last year I was interviewed for a work profile piece on the company website.
I said how much I would like to attend T20 Finals Day. A, fairly modest ambition. There had been 21 of these to date at the time of writing. All a short train ride from London.
It was one of many “I’d really like to do that one day” things in my head with no immediate urgency or date in mind. One day, though!
On Saturday, I Did A Thing I Wanted To Do.
It shouldn’t take a medical diagnosis of a potentially-problematic future to inspire action, but it also undoubtedly does.
Early in the day, a person with more advanced Parkinson’s spoke on the field on behalf of the Cricketers’ Trust, which added a small extra slice of poignancy to the occasion.
He said:
“There have been some dark days, and there will be some more dark days ahead. But I’m looking forward to today.”
If you like cricket then Finals Day is one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. Edgbaston puts on a genuinely great occasion of fun and entertainment.
I was sat in front of eventual champions Gloucestershire’s dressing room. The team whose dominant one-day side of the late 90s helped to hook me as a fan of county cricket. Then captain, Mark Alleyne, is now their coach.
There is no great awakening to this tale of Person Goes To Thing. Nor does every decision have framed around: “But what if my brain breaks one day?!”
Similarly, every occasion can’t be some emotional ‘farewell tour’ in fear of something that might never happen.
Yet there is an itch-scratching simple pleasure to committing to tick off simple goals, if you can, rather than pencilling them in for a non-existent future date. When the kids are older… When we’re retired… Not this year, but one day!
Do the things you want to do.
Absolutely do it now! We (well, everyone really) have an uncertain future and if the opportunity arises to do something wonderful then grab it. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed 🥰
Hope this will be of interest to fellow Parkinsonians https://thebluearmchair.substack.com/p/modern-drug-based-treatment-for-parkinsons?r=5kmhkr