Last week my amazing friend Aaron (for some reason it's hard for me to call him Dr. unless its followed by buttface...lol I'm obviously never growing up! So I can check that off the bucket list!) has a Patient Appreciation event planned for his Chiropractic patients (Apex Chiropractic) where he's going to have a few vendors and snacks and chair massage then later a dinner at a local restaurant (Wisconsin Street Cafe & Bakery). But he doesn't have a therapist to do the massage, so of course instantly I say, "I can probably do it...but we need a chair." It just so happens that his open hours worked right around my class yesterday, perfect! Also another syncronicity...I had just learned chair massage last Thursday, talk about perfect timing! And they found a chair!
I was getting a bit nervous we had practiced four 15 min chair massages in a row on Thursday night and I could definitely feel they were more taxing than a regular massage on fingers and fore arms, and now I had two shifts where I could be doing chair massage for hours in a row... It's like learning to run on Thursday and then running a half marathon on Monday! Ok, not that bad ;)
The patients were amazing, I was a little nervous for the first one as my chair massage routine sheet got to go home with someone else on Thursday night... I remembered enough to leave people with sleepy relaxed faces when they got up :) ❤ Everyone was so gracious I felt rich in kindness and appreciation. I loved hearing the relaxed tones and slowed pace of their voices when they were talking to me. Some had never had a massage. There was a trio of patients that I connected with and I told Aaron on our way to the Appreciation dinner. I was exhausted sitting by myself at a little table just enjoying the sounds and faces around me and in walks the trio from earlier in the day, Kirby, Mary Lou and Wayne. One of them said to me that I didn't have to sit in the corner by myself, so I followed them up to a table and plopped right down.
To summarize our conversations we were preaching to our own choirs! We talked about me and massage school, how we have a respect for money and realize it's usefulness but don't place much value on it, how much we love connecting with people and helping make things really anything better, and smiling. Kirby said he is drawn to talk to people by their smiles, and Wayne had mentioned something about seeing a creative spark in my eyes, and Mary Lou she was just sweet as heck!
Amongst the talking we got to hear Aaron talk about some of the successes of the the patients who did the 30 day Maximized Living Challenge. In particular a 61 year old man lost 20 pounds and reduced his tryglycerides by astonishing amounts like 290s down to 192 or 92.. and even lowered 20 points in regards to his diabetes, all by changing his diet and exercising! Amazing!
I was feeling so full of love, my arms were heavy and tired I was feeling sleepy and inspired. I always love hearing Aaron talk about the spine and wellness I felt the love he was sharing. I also felt the love from my new trio of friends. I have a hard time describing it other than we all just connected, lovers of life and lovers of sharing that love! You know how you just feel connected to some people, these were my people. I was so grateful just to be around them but Wayne saw something in me or felt he had something to offer. I caught him out of the corner of my eye writing a check...I got nervous and almost thought please don't I hope thats not for me...I have a hard time accepting money, even from my parents unless its my birthday or a holiday.
He slid it near me, I didn't touch it until it was time to go and he said, "Don't forget that." I took it and folded it in half and stuck it in my purse without looking at it. I didn't care if it said 4 cents or 40 dollars. The fact that he wanted to give me something was beautiful, I would have been thrilled if he'd given me a rock. I would however have a problem if it was an exorbitant amount. It wasn't exorbitant though was much more than I thought. I stepped out to use the restroom and came back and gave all three of them a hug, and told Wayne his gift would go directly toward school.
I was amazed, so much love just flowing in and out and around. Those three are trouble, but the good kind, the kid you want to be in :) Three perfect strangers, who are not strangers at all, universal love.
A poem from a favorite book The Moon Appears When the Water is Still
"A wise saint once said,
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
If we plant seeds of anger, jealousy or hatred
we will harvest only weeds of sadness and misery.
Such is the universal law of nature.
Day follows night. Fathers beget sons.
The apple not only falls close to the tree
the apple is the tree.
Seeds of kindness watered with smiles
must produce flowers of happiness and joy."
Thank you Kirby, Mary Lou and Wayne, for watering my heart with generosity kindness and smiles. Surely the cycle continues. :)
Much love and light
Lindsey xoxo
