Everyone Deserves a Massage

About a year ago, I began to see a massage therapist for ongoing pain in my neck and shoulder.  Spending the day with small children in chairs no taller than my knee tends to do this to a body.  There were some mental obstacles to overcome, but now it has become the one "luxury" I can not live without. 

Admittedly, I am not the kind of person who likes the thought of some stranger touching my body.  It's not so much the other person as much as it is those areas I so carefully decorate with clothing suddenly being exposed.  It's all I can do not to begin composing my letter of apology in my head as I lay there waiting under the sheet for my therapist to walk into the room!  But, once I let the bed warmer, the dim lighting and the soft background music take over,  I know I'm in for an hour of bliss.  Here are just a few reasons why:

1.)  It is physically impossible to do anything else when you are on the massage table.  You can't switch out the laundry or prep for the next day.  You have to just BE STILL.  In today's society, no one knows how to just BE STILL.  It took awhile for me to get used to this lack of activity, but now I look forward to the break from life every other week.

2.)  You connect with muscles you didn't know you had.  Sure, people say this when ever they restart some kind of physical activity, but in this case, I mean it.  I go in each time and describe to the therapist where the pain is, but always overlook something.  As she sends me into that uninterrupted daydream, she finds aches and pains I didn't know I had.  She then "fixes" them and I leave feeling oh, so much better!

3.)  I know no one is going to believe this one, but I actually feel taller when I leave the table.  No, I am not under some kind of delusion that my five foot four frame has suddenly grown three inches.  My theory is that my miracle therapist has relaxed all those muscles that have had me hunched over for two week allowing me to stand with correct posture again.  Regardless, it's an incredible feeling for someone who has gone through their whole life feeling short.

4.)  I believe the last one goes without saying--I leave the building in a state of complete relaxation.  I'm so mellow, I don't even mind writing the check for I secretly know I am the envy of everyone sitting in the waiting room!

So, do not postpone this experience any longer.  It may take a couple of times to overcome those mental stumbling blocks, but for those who are willing to open themselves up, the pay off is huge!

Explosion!

We all know that cans of soda that freeze often explode, but did you know that the force of said explosion can also pry open the door on little pink dorm-sized refrigerators?  I didn't know this either, so imagine my surprise when I walked into my classroom this morning.  Silver cans with their bottoms blown out sitting in puddles of brown sticky liquid surrounded by apples and cheese.  It was a mess! 

Instead of being frustrated by yet another problem to overcome in the morning, I found myself standing there in awe wishing I could have been there when the big moment happened.  Must be all the time I spend with kids.

Lessons from Old Friends

I'm not a big movie person.  The mere thought of standing in line just to hand over my hard earned money to the person standing behind the glass window just so I can sit in uncomfortable seats surrounded by strangers seems more than a bit absurd. 

That being said, tonight I encountered an old friend on tv tonight.  It was total "chick flick."  One that I would deny watching repeatedly.  One that I had almost forgotten about.  Yet, I found myself tuning in at just the right time.  That moment when our heroine finds the inner strength she didn't know she had.  That moment when she develops that all important backbone and says what she really means.  That moment when she emerages as her own person.

How is it that these moments find us when we need them the most?  How is it that these old friends sneak back into our lives at those moments when we need an extra boost?  If only I could get a screenwriter for my life...