Introversion has never been my way of engaging with the world. According to Introvert, Dear “an introvert is someone who prefers calm, minimally stimulating environments. Introverts tend to feel drained after socialising and...
An Unexpected & Stunning Turnaround. A Health Update
Last November I posted a health update that reflected a rather bleak outlook for 2019. I had watched my physical health deteriorate under the influence of Parkinsons to the point that most days were spent with hours of disabling tremors, a window of...
My kids reckon I will be an ugly bald man. A health update
Many of those who follow my blog are aware I have Parkinsons. Less well known is that the same year (2012) I was diagnosed with Parkinsons I was also diagnosed as having Chronic Lymphomatic Leukemia (CLL). CLL usually progresses very slowly and...
Farewell Vienna
One of the things I’d been looking forward to this year was taking up invitations to speak at conferences in Vienna and Jakarta. A couple of weeks back I wrote to the organisers of those conferences to notify them I would need...
Shake, rattle, roll. A Parkinsons Update.
People often inquire how I’m going with my Parkinsons, so I thought I’d provide an update… Over the last few months I have deteriorated a bit. I take meds every 3.5 hours. When they have fully kicked in I move freely, but as...
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Saying hello to a slowing phase of life
It has finally arrived, that moment where I reluctantly admit that my body will no longer allow me to operate at the pace I had grown to love nor to do all the things I have loved to do. The last two weeks saw me at three back-to-back conferences:...
How do I live the good life when my physical health is on a slow descent to total disability?
Just about everybody I know wants to lead the good life, but what does that mean when your body is slowly deteriorating and making you increasingly disabled? I have found the writing of Miroslav Volf helpful. In the book A Public Faith, Volf, a...
My deadpan face and God’s body language (or lack thereof)
After a recent meeting someone pulled me aside and asked if I was angry with him. I was surprised because not only was this person someone I liked and respected, but I wasn’t the least bit angry. After reassuring him that everything was good...
A taste of resurrection
Parkinsons brings a lot of unwelcome firsts.Recently it was the first time I had to ask someone to cut up my meal. There were three of us out for lunch. A beautiful cut of meat lingered on my plate. The steak knife was sharp. But my tremor meant all...
What Parkinsons has taught me about giving and receiving help. It’s harder than you think
I boarded a crowded train a few weeks back. It was a day when my tremor was particularly bad. A thoughtful woman offered to find me a seat, which I declined. Then as I struggled to manoeuvre my phone into an already full bag another passenger tried...