In my effort to hold things together, I’ve managed to fall apart. After many years of robust health, my body has started to cause me grief so I decided to seek some relief by visiting Union Square's community acupuncture center. I was immediately calmed as I entered the dimly lit space and was warmly greeted by the woman on duty and her sweet dog. After the needles were in place and a soft blanket was draped comfortable around me, I was gratefully lulled into deep rest while ocean waves from the sound system surrounded me. I left the session feeling better and was able to finally have a solid night sleep.
Encouraged by this experience, I made an appointment for the next day even though another winter storm warning was in the forecast. As I approached the building, I saw a large and growing crowd of young protesters chanting passionately for gun control. Cars driving by would honk their horn and the rowdy crowd would go wild. I was impressed but also annoyed as this likely meant my vision for another blissful visit was dissolving. “Isn’t Massachusetts known for having the strictest gun control in the country? I asked myself. “Wouldn’t their efforts be better spent outside Congress?”
I reluctantly entered the office hoping the noise outside would not be an issue. I noticed another person having a treatment and the young man working that day said the noise from outside might not be so noticeable if I chose a spot away from the windows so I settled myself into a seat near the audio speakers and hoped for the best.
After the needles were in place and I was covered with a blanket, I started to focus on the soft rain sounds coming from the speakers when all of a suddenly came a loud thunder strike which then merged with the energy and chanting coming from outside. Instead of annoyance as I suspected I would feel, I felt a rush of excitement and gratitude for those young souls out there speaking out so passionately about something extremely important. Sure, their voices were likely only echoing those of the progressive community around them and would not make an impact on the actual cause, but there they all were out there on a cold, damp winter day coming together and taking action.
The feeling of excitement and gratitude soon turned to relief. Perhaps this was due to the needles releasing my stuck energy or perhaps it was because it reminded me of what I already know – that our world is in the middle of a great transformational storm right now and we’re all going through it together. People are finally waking up to the injustices and imbalance that exist in our society and I believe the younger generation will help lead us out of this mess we’ve created. The burden is NOT all on my shoulders as I sometimes feel it to be. For a brief few minutes I felt cocooned and protected, realizing we are all in this together.
My physical pain stubbornly persists but I will continue to work through it while remembering to remain centered and calm as the turbulence swirls about me.