Parkinson's changes life. It's still life.
Perfectionism is not all it's cracked up to be. I admire imperfection. By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 16. Copyright 2017 There is something wrong with perfection. I wrote this sentence a few years ago as a discussion topic for honors students in their first year of college. I've grown to believe it … Continue reading A Perfect Storm
Cooper's Rock in West Virginia is challenging. At this point, I can't get to the top. By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 15. Copyright 2017 I can't. When I was 20, I didn't know the meaning of that phrase. The posters hanging in my dorm room at Concord College urged me to keep … Continue reading I can’t
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 14. Copyright 2017 Image from The Accessible Icon Project I was watching "Dancing With the Stars" last night and said out loud what I've thought so many times before when people with disabilities or physical challenges were on the show: Why is it that the 20-year-old Olympic gold … Continue reading It’s time we started thinking about disability
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 13. Copyright 2017 We waited 10 years for a real honeymoon, a quick trip to southern Belize, where we stayed above a Chinese restaurant called the Miramar. *This blog post, written in February 2017, commemorates important events, including the anniversary of my Parkinson's diagnosis.* My husband and I … Continue reading Celebrations
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 12. Copyright 2017 This little girl was learning that the world is full of different people. She didn't understand hate. She still doesn't. I didn't know it at the time, but back in 1960s West Virginia, my mother was a quiet revolutionary. She was raising me to appreciate … Continue reading The Magic Words
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 11. Copyright 2016 We have turned our dining room into a library, well-stocked with science fiction and fantasy. We are proud nerds. *I feel a disturbance in the Force. I wrote this month's blog about life through the lens of Parkinson's Disease before Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds … Continue reading May the Swartz be with you
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 10. Copyright 2016 My family's canoe trip on the Androscoggin River in Maine is a precious memory. I think that's why I chose it as my first subject for learning to paint. Rivers are ideal metaphors for life. I grew up between the Kanawha River and a set … Continue reading Riding the River
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 9. Copyright 2016 I blamed my total knee replacement surgery for switching on my Parkinson's gene, but I realize now that I already had Parkinson's symptoms when I had the operation. I wanted to find a reason, a culprit. How did I get Parkinson's? People ask, but I … Continue reading Good Question
by Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 8. Copyright 2016 I am content to have stunning views in my memory. Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, gave me this one. More endearing to the memory is the company of a friend celebrating being cancer-free. I don't really have a bucket list. I'm not interested in … Continue reading The Beat goes on
By Teresa Swartz Roberts Blog post 7. Copyright 2016 Refusing to accept help or use a cane or other accommodation makes as much sense as refusing to take my meds. I don't earn points through suffering. We don't get any extra points for suffering. Pain is not a contest, and I don't want to … Continue reading No Contest
