Now would be a good time to confess that my wife Lisa and I don’t get out much and apparently we have been living in a cave of sorts. After all, who ever heard of a Silent Disco? The words alone conjure up images of the 70’s, big hair and leisure suits come to mind. But that’s what was on our invitation to a neighborhood July 4th party; food, a live band, fireworks and a Silent Disco. Sure, we could have Googled it, but that might have dissuaded us from going. Lisa thought it sounded like fun, and she is more adventuresome than I when it comes to all things social, so I had little choice in the matter.
It was a great evening out. We enjoyed the company of another neighborhood party on the lake, another band and good food. Lisa and I knew very few people at this event. We knew the host and hostess, and a handful of other couples, but that was it. There were probably 150 people, couples with their children, all socializing in this family’s back yard. According to the invitation, the party was slated to run from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm; Lisa and I got there early evening so that we had time to socialize and listen to the band for a while. After a few hours of food and friends, it was getting dark and the band was packing up. Then one of the hosts told the guests to form a line. The Silent Disco was about to begin.
Each guest, young and old, was given a set of head phones that were wirelessly connected to a transmitter controlled by a DJ. Each set of headphones were capable of receiving three different “stations” that the guest could select and change at will. Imagine if you can, its dark, and there are about 110 people all wearing headphones with red, green or blue lights, dancing to their own station selection. But it was quiet and no music could be heard unless you were wearing headphones. Most of the time, Lisa and I weren’t even listening to the same song yet it didn’t seem to matter to either of us.
I am more of a watcher than a participant, I watched the guests, ranging from 10 to 60 years of age all dancing. It was all rather surreal. I confess, I am no dancer having been raised to believe that dancing leads to card playing which leads to… I don’t know if it was because it was dark, but I joined in on the fun. Like I said, I am no dancer and fortunately it was dark. I don’t think that I embarrassed myself; but if I did, I was not alone. We danced, if that’s what you want to call it, until around mid-night. Both Lisa and I needed a night out; normalcy was what we were looking for, normalcy is what we got. Even though the die-hard revelers were going strong, we decided to call it a night; after all we have an 18-week old puppy whose legs were crossed for far too long. The evening was a success!
Lisa is very good about instilling in me that both her and I need to stay connected to the rest of the world and not react to what we “think” we are up for. Last week was a very busy week for us. We re-decorated our son’s room, which meant painting. We bought new furniture from Ikea that dictated 5-hours of drive time to Canton; and yes some assembly was required. Lisa had family in from out of town. Saturday, was a 20+ mile bike ride and yet we still made it a priority and mustered up the energy to go to the party and stay out late. Remaining connected requires much more than just managing meds. It stems from the unrelenting desire to be adventurous and work through the PD and the perceived limitations that it brings. Because for now, the limitations that come with Parkinson’s are little more than an inconvenience.
Who would have thought that something as simple as a Silent Disco would have such an impact on me? Every day, I have to tell myself to check my attitude; as Michael Hyatt so eloquently stated, do I have an attitude of scarcity or abundance, do I believe that my best days are behind me or are the best yet to come? I have chosen to believe the latter. Everything inside of me still believes my best days are ahead of me, my purpose for being has still not yet been fulfilled and this year will be my best year ever. My heartfelt thanks to those who invited us to their Silent Disco and to my lovely wife for encouraging me, once again, to try something new. It provided me with something tangible that will serve as a reminder that my life is still abundant; and at times, I only need to get out of the way and enjoy it.
Thanks for reading, liking and sharing!
Al Van Dyk and his faithful sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.