Ignorance Is Not Bliss

I found out about this from my FB Friend & massage teacher, Fred. He joined a group that is requesting an apology from the producers of The View for what they said about massage therapists. I always think it's funny when specified groups seek out apologies for things that other people have said, or opinions expressed. You're not allowed to say what you think? They want to "raise awareness" that it's not OK to say ________ about ________.  That said, here's the clip:



Trying. To. Maintain. Sense. Of. Humour.  GRRRRRR . . . it's all funny until something hits close to home.  Unfortunately, these people are expressing the basic ignorance that our society has about massage in general. I've said it before, but our culture is so misinformed when it comes to touch; somehow it all equals sex. So let me address a few of the comments:

Masseuse: Perhaps this is an East Coast thing, but I am a massage THERAPIST, not a masseuse. A masseuse wouldn't know her cranium from her acetabulum. Yeah, look it up. "Masseuse" is an antiquated term that implies something that doesn't require 8 months of full-time schooling in anatomy & physiology, thousands of dollars, or a national exam. Now, if they still use that label in Oregon, we need to unify as a profession.


"I think it's also a good message about massage, because massage always has the potential to go wrong. You're like one push away from something weird happening."   Really, Blondie?* A "good message?"  A better message is that massage doesn't mean something "weird" could happen, but relieves pain, improves range of motion & structural function, and relieves stress--which BTW, according to cell biologist Bruce Lipton, is responsible for 95% of all diseases.

Time: A one-hour massage is OK, but a three-hour massage implies "diving in head first."  Blondie says, "That's a date, OK?"  After a 5-day, unrelenting headache, I finally got relieve from a fellow massage therapist. I had an hour and a half massage just on head & shoulders. End of headache.  "Nothing good happens after the first hour of massage." The ignorance our society has about touch, and the function of their own bodies, is just astonishing.

Blondie describes this "hot chick" who was "fantastic, really nice" but the husband was "so uncomfortable because he knew how pissed I was because she kept music going."  He was uncomfortable because she was uncomfortable. You know what?

She needs a massage.

In fact, they all do. Then perhaps they can have a personal experience and reference for massage instead of regurgitating on national TV their own insecurities & ignorance about what massage is.

*Sorry,  don't know her name.  All the blond people can be offended as a group & demand an apology in the comments. BTW, I am blond.
Update: Her name is Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the guy's name is Joe Scarbrough. FYI.  You can read comments posted on The View website here.  

Day of Rest: The Face of Accomplishment

Yesterday, Chiro-sister got her massage therapy degree. She's been teaching anatomy & physiology at AIM for 3 years, and decided to go through the practical part of massage school for this last year. [Side note here: I'm SO impressed with the curriculum at this school. Not only do they have a kick-ass A & P teacher, but Ruthie would tell me all the wonderful techniques she was learning. What? You're learning lymphatic drain massage? COOL!]

Ruth spoke to her students and read a passage from The Velveteen Rabbit:

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled.

After Ruth spoke to her students, she joined them as a classmate as they received their diplomas:

Ruth receives diploma from Joseph, founder of AIM. He is AWESOME! For energy ball enthusiasts, check out the one behind Ruth.

YAY!!!

Now we have 2 massage therapists in the fam!

CONGRATULATIONS, SWEETIE!
WUV YOU!!!

Just say YES

I’ve been out of the house 4 days in a row. That’s a record; more than I’ve been out in a single month. Bonnie Anthony, this LOVEly massage therapist at Wellspirit in Luray, contacted me a few months ago and asked me if I was available to work at the new Mimslyn Inn spa. Initially I didn’t want to. It takes quite the effort to leave the house. This is not an easy road to travel. That said, it’s a BEAUTIFUL drive, especially now in spring.

So. After writing Divine Midlife Crisis, something in me…shifted. Because, you know, SHIFT HAPPENS. I was really struggling. What is struggling but resisting the situation at hand? You want it to be what it is not. It’s a NO against reality.

You know what? I think Eckhart is sinking in. Anyway, so I decided to say YES this weekend. Yes to everything. I did 3 massages on Saturday. After the last one, Bonnie invited me to see Glick & Phillips at the Performing Arts Center where she was MCing. Ordinarily, I would have declined. I was a bit tired and wanted to get home before dark. But I said yes, and I’m so glad I did! It was a FUN night!

Sunday I had 4 massages, starting off first thing with a woman whose husband surprised her with a massage in honour of her 6oth birthday. We had such a good time! It turns out she works for an osteopath, so I did some percussor work on her as a birthday bonus. I had the rest of the a.m. free before afternoon massages, so I went to the Victorian Inn for breakfast. If you’re ever in Luray, you must go! It’s a beautifully renovated Victorian house. Mrs. Woodruff, the owner, has created such a warm and inviting atmosphere. It’s like walking into a hug. Breakfast was officially over, but the chef v. graciously made the most delicious meal, including fresh fruit salad with mango (my favourite!) Then Mrs. Woodruff joined me for tea and a chat. What a de-Lightful, charming woman!

After my last massage, I went to Walmart for milk before heading home. I was wandering about and passed by Guitar Hero. The guy at Walmart asked me if I wanted to try it out. No-I-mean-YES. It was really fun except I don’t know most of the songs. I settled on the Ramones and did the drums. I sucked. But it was fun. Then I did guitar to the Clash. I was going to get up and Walmart Guy shoved the mike in my hands and said Now you have to sing. Then a little boy came by and wanted to play drums, so he drummed & I sang. To Metallica??? Just say YES! So after that, the band broke up. Artistic differences and we were pursuing our solo careers. Hahaha

So. That’s my adventure in the Land of Yes. Even when I think I’m too tired. YES.

A Merrie Heart

A merrie heart maketh glad the day, and there you find your treasure.

I have this on my business cards and on the header of my blog. The story of this comes from an experience with my GSF Kristina a few years ago. She was recovering from bronchitis and asked if I could come over to Reiki her before she had to leave for work. We had about 10 minutes. I started with a tuning fork on an acupuncture point (Lung 1). Then I stood behind her and put a hand on her back and the other on her chest. She was v. tired and congested and her breathing was labored.

What can you do in 10 minutes? 10 minutes of Clock Time is a blip and an eternity all at once when you’re working in the realm of Spirit and healing. It is that place of Presence and Stillness. There is no past or future, but only NOW. We were in her living room completely embraced by God’s healing Light. She breathed a deep sigh. With my hand on her heart, I heard the phrase, “A merrie heart maketh glad the day.” I think there’s a similar quote from the Bible. Anyway, then it was time for her to go to work, feeling much better. We were both completely merrie!

A merrie heart repeated as I was driving down the road. You know those moments of quiet joy and peace? This was one of them. Later, as I was writing my first Healing Labyrinth Path newsletter, and there you’ll find your treasure completed the phrase. It’s kind of like a clue from Spirit. Imagine if everyone had a merrie heart, perhaps the world would be a bit different. Having a merrie heart is allowing God to smile through you. It’s not the concept of human happiness, because that’s so fleeting. It’s also about finding your treasure, your gift from God that you share with the world. What makes you SMILE now? Do that.

This is the smile in my heart: making people feel good. Helping them to relax and take a pause from the stresses of daily life. Whether I’m doing it hypnotically on a CD or in person with a massage, this is the work I was born to do.