Rick: Now you are talking like you should be. Please keep up your spirits. Soon you will be an example for others. All the best. Raj ****** ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick McGirr <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2004 11:22 PM Subject: Joy > I used to complain a lot. I guess I still do. I used to have a > roommate who would tell me, "Just be happy in your work." Well, fine, > but now I'm facing a future where my chosen work will not be possible. > Or will it? I have spent my adult life as a piano player, and my > skills will probably continue to erode. If I can no longer play, the > one thing that has brought me joy, as well as income, how can I find > joy? By staying in music. I have an aesthetic which is valid. Why > can I not express it by using studio recording methods, or by using > software as a tool for notating my compositions? I can also help my > son, also a musician, by being his studio engineer and mentor. > > Sure, I've lost, and will continue to lose, but I still thank my lucky > stars that I don't have a host of other conditions that I see as worse > than my PD. And even if I can't be the 'star of the show', maybe I > can even have more influence behind the scenes. I also have a really > good life, and a wonderful, beautiful family, and I rejoice in them > every day. > > I have been receiving lots of fine advice from some people on the > listserv, and what it boils down to is that I should do a lot of > research on PD, find something that I can do to provide income and > fulfillment, and not fret about what I can't do anymore. I know that > if my favorite athletes can start over after they retire, then so can > I. I figure I have to be smarter than at least half the pro athletes > in the world. Some of them do well, and some of them don't. What's > the difference? Attitude. Attitude is also the key factor in a sales > career, or any other endeavor. > > I have also received advice from someone who does not have PD, but has > plenty of problems resulting from an accident and many surgeries. His > road has been a tough one, and he will suffer permanent loss of some > ability. The minute I mentioned to him that I had PD, I got a lecture > about not feeling sorry for myself, not for one minute. I thought, > well, this guy is ten times worse off than I am now. How many years > do I have before I get as bad as he is now? And when I get that bad, > he has shown me that I can fight on and on, if I have the strength of > will. I have resolved to keep plugging, not give up, to hang around > if only just to be a pain in the ass. > > I have a lot of admiration for people like yourselves, who have come > through hell and still have the same determination, that if life is > going to try to take you down, you're going to fight to the last, and > make as much of a mark as you can, either in public, or in the family, > or wherever. Face the worst with courage, and you will be remembered. > Face the worst with humor, and you will be looked up to, especially if > you're really tall, like me. > > Anyway, today I will settle for my situation over that of the average > residents of coastal areas of Sri Lanka. > > Thanking my lucky stars. > > Enjoy! > Rick McGirr > Email: [log in to unmask] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn