Seriously! stop it!

Hi Liesl, I enjoyed reading your blog post – with exception, of course, of the fact that you’re in pain and having such difficulty moving. I hope you’ve been able to have some easement of the pain, between the pain relievers and the massage, and that as the day is progressing you’re also moving about easier too. A couple of things – for the most part it isn’t conducive to the desired end results of a massage treatment for the therapist to be a chatter-box. I was a massage therapist for many years and my rule of thumb (pardon the pun) was to follow my clients lead in whether or not they wanted to chat during the treatment. Even if they chose to talk I kept my end of the conversation toned down, as my job still required focus and some concentration. If my client wanted to “tune out” and drift away I’d only disturb them when there was something about the treatment I had to verbally communicate (I could let them know it was time to turn over, for example, without having to disturb them by speaking). I think your therapist might do well with a friendly reminder from a colleague regarding the subject matter she chooses to talk about with her clients and the direct relation it can have to the client’s ability to relax and enjoy the treatment. (Smile.)We know that scientists, for example, have to change their opinions and viewpoints, what they think they “know” and the outcomes of what they’ve learned all the time, for so many reasons – the data and information changes, new information emerges, new tests are created and must be conducted, and so many of the laws of the universe are ‘theories’, etc., etc. Scientists can’t, and for the largest part don’t, just say “This is what we’ve learned about ‘X’ and now no one can change our minds about it.” Instead they say “This is what we have learned, this is the evidence we have, and at this point this is what we know, or believe, about ‘X’. If different, or new, evidence should come along, we will consider it. If the new evidence changes the old information, then so be it.”To believe that one forms opinions and becomes unbending about all of them thereafter is, in my eyes, to stop growing in many ways, to be unyielding. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some opinions we each form and are firm in our beliefs in, but to decide to be that way with all of our opinions is to stunt our own growth.

A short apology for the one, long paragraph in my post above. I didn't write it that way, but for some reason it posted that way. Maybe because I did a 'copy' and 'paste' job... dunno. Anyway, sorry for any difficulty it causes while reading.

Heya Broken, hmmm... when I hit return it doesn't work. Weird. I have a feeling this will be one long paragraph, too. Well, except for the long part. You know, I have a hard time understanding people who believe they KNOW and will not even consider change. I know I should be more tolerant of those people but I just don't have time for them. I could argue with them until I am blue in the face, but why?

Hi there Liesl - yeah, using the 'enter' key doesn't seem to work for me either. Ah well, it's probably just the operator! ;-)There's a philosophy I like to try to use - it's the "try it on and see how it feels and looks". Just "try on" a way of looking at something, and then if it doesn't fit right, feel good or look good then take it off and you haven't lost anything from it - you know you tried it out and were able to make an informed decision about whether or not it was the right thing for 'you' or not. Hope you're having a great week!

I'm a fan of that philosophy, too. I tried on being a vegetarian for 12 years. Now, I'm trying on not being a vegetarian. We'll se if I go back!

Look! paragraphs! looks like they're working really hard on this site and its glitches. My week is going well. The flare seems to be dying down a bit. Yay!