Sorting a new self.

5 years ago I wrote

At times I have felt it (diagnosis of PD) as a threat to identity – I am being told that there is something wrong with my brain and my brain is my identity far more than my body is; I sit inside and look out.  Adaptations can be made to compensate for deficiencies in the body but I am scared that at present there is little that can be done to keep control of the brain and maintain the “me”. 

I was and am changed by having Parkinson’s. In some ways I feel a mere shadow of the energetic me that was, but I’m still in there and I still do much more than look out.

One of the things I turned to instinctively was to develop a storytelling show, this became Sorting the Sock Drawer and during its early development and since, it really has helped me sort my “self” out. As I found and described the characters in two intertwining stories, I saw reflections of my new self emerging from the old. While the audience learns about the characters and their lives, empathises with them, laughs with them and begins to understand them, I understand more about me. I find too, that on the whole, I am pleased with what I find.

Now I am exploring the next stage, how to help others think about their new selves and see what strengths they find. With the support of Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival and with grant aid from the National Lottery Community Fund I am able to run two pilot programmes of Slow Motion Selfies, one in Swansea, one in Cardiff.

Over six weekly sessions, starting September and October, the programme will be based on three themes:-

• Stories, both traditional and personal. Old stories that have been honed over long years, have wisdom and characters that we can easily identify with. Sharing personal stories reminds us we are not alone.
• Personal reflection. Seldom do we have the time, space and motivation to take a good look at ourselves and remind ourselves of the good in life.
• Creativity. The programme offers tasters in a range of different creative activities. There will be something for everyone.

AND we intend to have fun!

Slow Motion Selfies is open to anyone living with a neurodegenerative condition. Please e-mail eirwenmalin@beyondtheborder.com if you are interested in taking part.

An individuals choice of socks surely tells you a lot about them. Consider the man who has a set of pairs of socks with days of the week on them and wears Thursday, on both feet, on a Thursday! As for me, my sock drawer is still a heap of single socks that sometimes can be matched into pairs, so not very sorted. However, my sense of a positive me has been enhanced by the creative process of telling my story.