I’d seen her face but could not make a connection. Once she passed me, another time I passed her, then one day she was there in front of me asking if I had Parkinson’s. “Yes” I said and I remembered her stare from earlier – serious, focussed, and beyond. She stared at me because I was wearing my ‘Walking with Parkinson’s’ blurb on my back. Sometimes I wish it would get off my back but at other times it’s like a friend – keeps me focussed on living. It’s nearly always honest with me, and it brings me an opportunity to gain special people as friends. We talk of life and death because my friends die too early. Life becomes more urgent and precious. Parkinson’s and I walk too fast, but if I slow down I am worried I might die without completing my walk.

My new friend (I get used to meeting others and making friends because I may lose that person before their time). So we talked, looked at questions, then attempted answers. She was hurting, and mostly in her legs and toes and thought that she may have to slow down or stop. Her toes became twisted and hurt when she walked, and that was her worst fear. I suggested she may try more walking if she saw no danger. Being consistent, more than mileage, is crucial, have someone adjust her gait. Walk faster but less, walk better but often, find out how precisely you should do your exercises and be consistent, work out what each exercise does and then feel the muscles you are changing. Fall in love with them, then you can meaningfully work with them and with everything you do. Her daughter came down to join us. We discussed PD things and they were able to talk, differ and make strong assertions because they could and they cared, and they had a chance to talk and be listened to.

Sorry we didn’t do any of this!!!!!! We had other things to talk about and when she’s ready to read this post, she may make her own plan. They’re the best ones because you know yourself better than others do, and ensure you seek advice from your relevant practitioners.

As we wind down, and coming up for our last week in Spain, we have our own plans to make so we’ll have an early dinner and then look for another sunset. By the way the sun is setting at around 21.35 so we get home after a days walk of 24km at about 22.00 for a light quick pinchos and wine. I don’t know why our daily/nightly walks are increasing. In Spain they have Mercados, large indoor places with eateries side by side, such as a pizza place (that was us).

I saw this dog with three large black dots on a white background and wanted to meet her/him, so I did. But it was mum who I got talking to when she moved over to join us (by the way she was with her extended family of thirteen who she left behind). She was an interesting woman who had a view on most things. She did not like her president, she loved her family who were looking around at us. If they had heard us they would hear that most Australians like our government and our leader.

We had talked of my poetry and when she asked me who my favourite poet was, she nearly jumped into my lap because it was the same poet – Garcia Lorca. Lorca, whom I have talked about before, was a poet who wanted to get the ‘duende’ back into the Spanish culture. But that’s for another time, fascinating in itself. We went another way. A lot has been said about neuroprotection in many other countries but who has heard about it in Spain? We weren’t sure. And that leads to neuroplasticity and this woman knew about that. “Is it true”she said, “that this word, this action, can reorganise pathways, create new connections and in some cases create new neurons?” She was right and this is the model that much PD research is based on, and carried out in exercise classes, both cognitive and physical. Maybe this is part of what Lorca’s famous duende means when he says that: “The buried spirit of saddened Spain needs duende”.

While that evening was quite special and challenging, the next was lighter and more frivolous but just as rewarding. While my wife Corrie automatically gets the rewards, I have to work harder because she has a regular flow of dopamine supporting the brain. What helps me though is my ability to create and then accept those rewards as a good thing. The situation was that our apartment owner was doing her very best to have the best apartment with all that the tenants needed for a perfect stay. Mostly we never saw her but answering their calls
were crucial to her and her tenants’ needs eg. a lost address, mobile, door codes. We had to call her a lot for things that were our fault. She let people stay for longer than was paid for. We know all this because of personal interaction and we were just lucky to meet her. We joked with her, we laughed a lot about the fact she may have too many fancy objects. The star decor was lovely lemons, and her yellow painted house which stood out and delighted her neighbours. It was, after all, in Calle Limon. She rewarded our friendship with a box of specialty croissants and thank you letters; I rewarded her, of course, with a poem.