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Dear Dermot Kennedy

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Hello Dermot,

I'll be honest upfront. I wouldn't say I'm not a fan, I'd just say I wasn't really aware of who you are. 




Today I dropped my son off at school and as I drove away I switched on the radio. The odd thing was it wasn't the station I usually listen to as a I drive away from the school. One of your songs just happened to be playing.

"But better days are comin' Better days are comin' for you"

And I stopped and I started listening. Stopped as in stopped thinking thoughts, not stopped the car. It's school drop off, you don't stop the car. 

The song continued...

"The rain it ain't permanent And soon, we'll be dancing in the sun"

Let me explain. Today wasn't just an ordinary school day. It was the 'I'll give it another go" swim day! My son has a rare condition called Prader Willi Syndrome. For him, part of having PWS is living with anxiety. Anxiety is a constant feature in everything he does daily. 

Last week his class started swimming lessons and he was delighted about this. He couldn't wait to begin. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he expected and instead of being able to enjoy it, PWS took over. It was noisy, there was splashing, it wasn't calm, it wasn't how he thought it would be in his mind.

That evening, as he sobbed in my arms, I gave him two choices. 

I offered him an 'Opt out' card. I let him know that sometimes there'll be environments that just won't suit him. That it is sad but sometimes there are somethings we can't change. We can't change noise, we can't change splashing, that swim lessons with your class are like what today is. That is just the way it is.

Option two was that he could give it another go. I explained that he now knew what to expect. That it could be a little easier next time. 

His wonderful school team supported him with encouragement and offered him suggestions but no pressure. Together, we all planted seeds of positive swim thoughts. 

As I listened to your song on the way home, it was the line you have about it not raining permanently that really stood out for me. It's very relatable as a parent to a child with special needs. It's true we have lived in clouds of rain many times over the last nine years. The last week it has been drizzling after the massive downpour of Swim Day One. 

A message from his teacher with 'Brilliant day' let me relax, the rain has gone and the sun most definitely is shining again. 

I'll never know if your song playing on a station I don't usually listen to, at the exact time I needed to hear it was a message from the universe or if it was all just pure chance but thank you for your song.

Thank you for writing that better days are coming.

It is something we always say to each other when we need to get through the hard times of living with PWS. 

Best of luck with all your music endeavours. 

'We'll be dancin' in the sun'



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