My Friday Five. Five things I've been implementing and exploring this week.
Book I'm reading: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed.
As you know I love travel and adventure non-fiction. I read Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed years ago and wanted to follow in her footsteps and hike something monumental. I summited a few 14,000 foot peaks and they all went smoothly. I have no great tale of perseverance or tragedy while hiking. I don't want one, but I continue to crave the outdoors and adventure.
None of this has anything to do with Tiny Beautiful Things except that it is written by the same author. After writing Wild, Cheryl Strayed became an advice columnist. Her responses are raw and personal, moving and jarring. It's not a book I can read straight through. I've been working my way through it for a couple of years. Every now and then I'll pick it up and read a section. I'm in that place now and I am moved.
Success Story:
Every now and then I'll have someone come in to see me just one time and never come back. I like to think that they had a remarkable recovery and didn't need to see me again. The darker side of me beats myself up thinking I did not help them and now they think acupuncture doesn't work. One of these patients was a collegiate baseball player that had one session with me over a year ago. He had tried everything to relieve his pain. He could not throw a ball in practice and his shoulder pain was excruciating when he played a game.
I pulled out all the stops for his session knowing he was leaving that afternoon to head back to school. I had often thought of him and hoped he found some relief somewhere. I was blessed with him coming back just before Christmas for a session. He said his shoulder pain was completely gone after that one session and he had a great season. His words were "You saved my season". I can't tell you how it feels to hear that I've made such an impact on someone's life. Thank you everyone that shares your story with me, good and not-so-good. It all makes me better doing what I love.
Quote I'm meditating on:
Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. — Ed Cunningham
Idea I'm implementing:
Eating food that has not been processed.
Definitely not a new thing, but I am revisiting the idea of eating food that is in it's most natural state. I'm learning food prep on Sunday and Wednesday lead to the best success. I'm still looking for good snacks that are fresh and easy. Any suggestions are very welcome!
Music I'm listening to that makes me happy:
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon
Ever since he was honored at Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon I have been singing this song. The funny thing is that they didn't sing this song during the tribute.
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