Today was a good day, I had 5 clients all of whom were pleasant and appreciative. Fun, upbeat work even though there is a snow front moving in which means my ears are ringing to beat the band and I will surely lose all the early blooms all over my gardens.
There was one woman who was the herald of the day for why I do what I do.
I know from her charts she was in her early 70's and she just happened to also be a statuesque beauty.
Flawless porcelain skin, thick beautiful white shiny hair, classic and iconic bone structure and she came off as the epitome of health and well being except she has LDS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Huh. I often wonder how can such things even be? In her particular case it means she can not move her arms without swinging her entire torso with vigor.
I think about how much I loathe as a deaf person the fact I often must rely on others to facilitate communication with me or to me and how complex it is that even though the very people who do in my life are usually the people I love the most and know the best I still deeply resent my dependence and need. I am grateful, I am respectful and I am aware the generosity and sheer decency it takes for my loved ones to include me and make sure I both know whats going on and just converse with me. It remains a position I do not enjoy being in perpetually.
I mention my deaf resentment issues because, this woman had to ask me to remove her glasses, help her disrobe, steady and guide her to table as her balance and direction control is compromised, square her on table and arrange her arms and hands around her torso in a manner that was not painful or contorted.
She had to communicate all of this intricate and exclusive choreography to someone who can not hear her in a dimly lit tiny room. She managed to do this with clarity, poise, directness and grace. Please tell me how anyone can pull that off in such a manner when they are facing the uncertain, the unfamiliar, extreme pain and looming over all of this is the very real possibility of miscommunication or misunderstanding on my part.
I always tell new people if they are experiencing any pain, too much pressure, discomfort or anxiety to raise their hand and I will both move on and become more aware. How do I help someone who can't raise their hand communicate with me in the event of discomfort. The whole point of coming to me is to feel good. If you already are in mind bending pain, at the very least you want to feel comforted and for the pain in some way to be alleviated, certainly not aggravated because your massage therapist doesn't hear you say this or that is not working.
I told her what she I usually say and acknowledged that was silly in our case and how would she feel about raising her head if she needed to let me know anything immediately she laughed and raised her head.
She shared with me it was her birthday and I thought how fantastic she decided on a spa day to celebrate and how fortuitous for me that I happened to be on call today. She purred appreciation. Her smile was wry and wise. Her energy was both calm and high. You know those people who everyone around them feels better when they walk in the room. She is one of those people. While I was technically aware to take care in particular around her arms, emotionally I forgot while working we were dealing with something so huge and daunting because of the energy she was putting off which was so clear and bright.
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