It seems like only days ago that I encountered a woman that would change my life (for the better) at a magical place I like to call ‘home’…Burning Man.
Our camp had a few extra guests who needed a temporary place to camp. While chatting with the temporary visitors, we got to talking about our occupations. Upon finding out she was a professional masseuse, I asked her if she wouldn’t mind showing me how to give a professional massage. She was delighted.
We walked our way over to one of our friends, who had just come in from a long night of dancing. She spent over an hour showing, by example, the mechanics of massage healing. I’ll never forget the way our dear friend appreciated the massage; it was as if he intersected a slice of heaven.
The story goes a bit deeper than this introduction at Burning Man, to a time where I asked the universe for a gift that I could give to others that would make their lives better; something that didn’t involve money, but would represent an authentic avenue of connection, love, and healing.
Thus, massage.
Over the last year and a half, I’ve had the joy giving hundreds of massages to friends, family, co-workers, and strangers in San Francisco. It is something I’m ever thankful for to have discovered as a gift to give others.
Every part of your body is connected as a complex, multi-faceted organism. The stress of your day/life is often carried in your muscles as your clench, cramp, and tighten yourself through day-to-day life.
Massage is the tool that heals, restores, and rejuvenates you; taking you to a better place than you could have anticipated.
When I look around at the world, I see a lot of people that desperately need a healing touch…sometimes more than they know.
There is something universally right about helping those around you with your hands, because it’s a gift that only you can offer to somebody else.
It’s a moment of shared trust, acceptance, and love. The pure kind of love that renews your sense of wonder, delight, and joy.
I’m writing this blog to encourage you to give somebody a massage today. It can be as simple as a 5-minute shoulder massage during the work day.
Your gift will be the highlight of their day.
The world needs more free gifts and actions of pure love; given without any expectation of return. There’s a saying that ‘an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind’ in the Chinese proverbs. Massage is the opposite impact of this reality.
Give it a try! Find one person a day to offer a massage. Your first few massages may not be as polished as your 100th. However, you will discover new joy and love that you didn’t know you were capable of offering others.
If you ever see me, don’t hesitate to ask for a massage. It will make my day <3
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
MsDarkstar
In High School Public Speaking Class, for our demonstration speech, my friend and I did shoulder massage and the recipient was our teacher. We both got A’s on that speech and I remember spending hours in the lounge at school giving shoulder massages to stressed-out classmates. I wasn’t popular at all but those shoulder massages were a point of connection with people who would not normally have given me the time of day.