Good night Positrons! What did we learn today? The great value of the creative process. The physiological benefits of creating art, viewing art, creating music or listening to music. These things are far beyond our human comprehension. Trust me! I remember even as a child, garnering the calming effects of the drawing process. When I would draw and sketch, it would transport me to a place, where I would loose track of time and space. In a very healthy way, of course. I have used art and music to help myself, and guide my own self in, Pain Management, believe it or not! In my very early days of my diagnosis of Behcets Disease, April and I were not comforted by the long term outcome of this disease. In fact, it was downright scary to us! I still remember the Doctors using words like Dementia, Vasculitis, Blindness, Pulmonary/ Cardio Vascular Clotting, Ulcerations, Strokes, just to name a few. And on top of this disease, I had a Hyper Clotting Gene which ironically palled up with my Behcets Disease. ;-) Lucky me...right? In those early days, I think we tried every possible serum, all the way from Homeopathic to all the Western medicative resources. I used pain meds in those first 4 or 5 months after diagnosis. It didnt take me very long to realize that opiates were no long term solution for me, and or this disease. Now, by nature and by profession, I turned to music and art to distract myself from the symptoms of my disease. April and I werent rich, so we didnt have the luxury of varied treatments. So, it always seemed to come down to the music, in the end. I would go into the studio and write, play and record. I started to notice that very large chunks of time were going by in which I wasnt concentrating on my multisystemic pain, anymore. Simple, yet astonishing to me, none the less. Whether I was listening to music, playing music and or drawing/painting, I was somehow transported away from physical pain for stretches of time. I was learning some very valuable lessons in pain management through the art of distraction, by means of music and art. Although, my toughest challenges were yet to come. This nefarious Behcets Disease would take on a more sinister role, in my not so distant future. Three times it took my motor skills and left side functions, by means of stroke. And.....any guitar player knows what that means................................ thats right..... .........yepper......no left side, no playing. Plain and simple. So, during this period of time....I was thrown into a bit of a tailspin. So, this is where the Spiritual factor became most important for me, in my personal journey. I was never guaranteed a full recovery. Ever! Man oh man did I pray to be restored of my former skills! Lots of tears...lots of tears. But, all three times, the motor skills would return. But that last stroke......that was by far the worst one. It seemed as if it was taking so long for the motor skills to return that time. I worried this one was it for me. Then, I got to thinking about the physicality of my situation. I thought What if I sold some of my guitar gear and bought a little keyboard synthesizer? I could at least plunk out a triad with my right hand. Three single notes....to create a chord...right? So, I bought my little Casio piano, and away I went. I was able to get my bent index finger curled out on my left hand to play single bass notes. I taught myself how to play the Beatles song, Penny Lane. I felt like I had made fire for the first time! And from Penny Lane.....I went on to write and compose hundreds of songs on the piano. And eventually, the left side came back and allowed me to play the guitar once again. Still, to this day, half of the songs I write are written on piano, now. So, I ostensibly taught myself how to play the piano, out of shear terror of losing music altogether! I already was quite aware of its benefits to my health by that point, of course. So, at the age of 41 I was teaching myself a new skill....and by nature of the happy feelings of being musical again and the healing properties of the music, I had accidentally stumbled onto something quite remarkable, yet revolutionary in my own personal story! Physical Pain management, and emotional pain management. And now, Positrons, I use these techniques through music and art to keep myself mentally agile and cognitively sharp. And by God....it works! Granted, music and art are as old as all of humankind itself, but often times, these ancient ways are still the best ways! So whether you are creators of art and or music, or simply the listener/viewer, it doesnt matter. It is simply good for all of us, in both body and soul! Really! It is a built in painkiller. An onboard anesthetic, so to speak. So, dont be limited by your pain. The answers to our problems, are very often right under our noses, without us even realizing it! Wear hope like a Badge, Positrons! Please know that God is never punishing us, He is simply challenging us. We must always push to become our best versions of ourselves. God knows our true, honest hearts. He knows what is always best for us. Just trust Him, get creative with your problem solving and seize your new life! Its all there....it may require a lot more running, juggling and patience than you had anticipated, but hey, what the heck, right? Just get it done. And most of all enjoy the process! Dont be afraid of things getting ugly! ;-) Find the beauty in ugliness of the fight! You sure gotta expect that by now Positrons! ;-) Boooooooooooooya, Andy Out!
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 02:45:55 +0000
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