Brigid O’Dea: The patterns changed and I twisted and turned only in pain

There's an article I return to when I'm searching for comfort; This Water Drop, It's the Greatest Dancer. You'll find it in the New York Times science section. It's accompanied by a hypnotic video of water droplets spinning in the air, pirouetting as they rebound against different surfaces.

Normally, the narrator explains, when a water droplet hits a plain surface, it will bounce straight back up. However, these water-repellent surfaces have water-adhesive patterns that manipulate the water’s course. Because of this, the gleaming droplets rebound acrobatically “twisting and turning like a dancer in flight”.

“Any water droplet can dance,” the author explains in the article below, “All it needs is the right dance floor.”

I have a friend who studies physics, and while he is fascinated in discovering how this world works, I am fascinated that it works

So often, the greatest poetry can be found when reading about the world around us. Sky News recently cited an article appearing in academical journal Biological Reviews claiming that: “Wasps ‘could be just as valuable as bees if we give them the chance’.” If we give them the chance. But will we continue to trap them in glass jars and embroider bumble bees on our shirts?

‘My partner is a good person but there is little laughter, excitement or enthusiasm’

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How do I know if my child has a video game addiction?

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I’m waiting to see my specialist, to find out if the growth on my lung has actually grown

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How we treat homeless people with mental illness and addiction must change

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Another New York Times article, on the subject of physics and evolution, read: "You might think that it's possible for a particle to be alone in the world, you might think the deepest, darkest reaches of outer space are a very lonely environment indeed for particles. But in fact, it's not lonely at all. Because of the quantum world, we know every particle is surrounded by an entourage of other particles."

And here we are. Is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

I have a friend who studies physics, and while he is fascinated in discovering how this world works, I am fascinated that it works. While he spends his times researching, drawing graphs and totting up big sums, exploring the properties of this complex universe, I get giddy when I read that “space is restless”.

But the aforementioned article is the one I return to, because really what are we humans if not a mass of water droplets trying to find our groove in this world?

As kids, we watch how those around us dance, we attempt to copy their moves, whilst the most bold among us try something a little more daring that makes us stand out. If we are lucky, we find the rhythm that fits our beat and two-step along life’s path.

Dancing has always been an important part of this writer’s existence. From hip-hop classes, to kitchen discos, wedding dancefloors and post-lunch break recitals generously accommodated by my ever-patient primary school teachers. Dancing keeps me feeling ebullient. My life on this planet has been peppered with “to-the-front-two-threes” and kick-ball-changes.

But this is a world that makes it easier for some to dance, than others.

For me, a disruption to my carefully planned routines, and an interference with my usual outlets for fun and stress-relief, exacerbated my migraines

Many disabled people ascribe to the social model of disability. This model states that people are disabled by systematic barriers existing in society, and discriminatory attitudes, rather than by their own bodies. The issue is not the dancer, but the dancefloor; the patterns laid down by society and those in charge.

While often I have felt most disabled by “my pain”, by the processes occurring within my head, and ultimately wish it was this I could change, there is no doubting that I too feel that I live in a world not designed for people like me.

Over the course of the pandemic, we saw certain changes in our society. It became necessary for employers and educational institutions to adapt their mode of working. Employees and students were facilitated to work from home. Businesses changed their delivery models. For some people, this felt like flexibility, and it worked for them. When the patterns were changed, they thrived.

Others struggled with the disruption to routine, deprived of social contact and overwhelmed with stress. They found new arrangements had a negative impact on their wellbeing. For me, a disruption to my carefully planned routines, and an interference with my usual outlets for fun and stress-relief, exacerbated my migraines. The patterns changed, and I twisted and turned only in pain.

As we move into the next stage of “new normal”, there is talk about how we want our society to look, how we can make this a society for all. However, “all” is not a homogeneous group; every one of us is designed differently and we all have different patterns that will allow us to thrive in this world.

Every water droplet can dance. All we need is for dancefloors to be designed with everybody in mind.