Such was my dismissal of certain things of which I was
suspicious as I simply did not believe in their benefits. I was certain they
were examples of gullibility on our part, signs of our fundamental human
weakness for believing in absurdities.
Boy, what an idiot I can be.
It began about a year ago when I could not move my neck.
Increasing tension in my neck and shoulder muscles had left me intensely
envious of owls, with their ability to turn their heads 180 degrees. My
head was frozen in place, and just shoulder checking while driving had become
agony. Finally, realizing I could no longer live in that kind of suffering, I
booked in to see a massage therapist, despite being dubious of their genuine
ability to help alleviate my pain.
I will admit it took trying two or three different
therapists to find the right one for me, just as one has to try a few hair
stylists to find the right one. But even after my very first visit I knew I was
onto something, as while my muscles ached in an entirely new way I could turn
my head, even if just slightly. After finding the perfect RMT for me, with just
the right touch and a growing knowledge of where as a writer I carry all my
tension in my neck and shoulders, and with monthly appointments, I no longer
view owls with envy. A once monthly massage has eliminated my neck and shoulder
tension, and a practice that once filled me with doubt has become something I
consider essential to my job as it allows me to work free of pain.
The experience with massage therapy triggered something in
me, because I often outright rejected ideas designed to help as being
unlikely to actually help. When I began hearing about the use of essential oils
in diffusers I once again was dubious, but even so when I was in Edmonton I found myself in a large
store devoted to essential oils and their use. I left armed with two diffusers
and an array of essential oil blends, once again mentally doubting their
ability to help me but recognizing I needed to do something to address the
restless nights I was experiencing, and the stress-related headaches.
I began loading up the diffuser nightly with essential oil
blends that promised things like tranquillity, and the strangest thing
happened: I started sleeping again.
It was like the weirdest form of black magic, but for some
reason those soothing scents actually seemed to have an effect on me and it
wasn’t long before I was relying on them when I was feeling stressed or
overwhelmed, or when I needed a kick of energy or sunshine.
Suddenly I was hooked on massage therapy AND essential oils.
And then I heard about adult colouring books.
Yep. Colouring books for adults, the latest and hottest
trend in publishing circles. Not the colouring books of old, these ones feature
patterns of mandalas and paisleys, supposedly designed to calm and soothe
stressed and anxious adults.
I liked colouring as a kid, and to be honest I was still
colouring long past when most children give it up, but colouring as an adult of a
certain age? I was beyond skeptical and into scoffing, but when I found myself
in front of a display of colouring books in a local bookstore one day I couldn’t
help but be enthralled.
One adult colouring book of whimsical designs and a package
of 60 colouring pencils later and I was hooked, as I watched Netflix and
coloured while my anxieties and worries of the day drifted away, finding myself
focused on just the right shade of crimson red for a flower and the perfect
shade of soft green for the leaves. Having little artistic talent of my own to
paint or draw I found it incredibly freeing to release what little I had in a
colouring book, taking me back to an era when bills and deadlines were
something adults dealt with and I could just live in the moment.
Massage therapy, essential oils and adult colouring books.
Suddenly all the black magic and mumbo jumbo I had been dismissing made sense
to me. I had never for a moment considered that any of these things, let alone
all three, could enrich my life and actually increase my happiness and yet each
and every one had become something I no longer considered superfluous but
essential.
I pride myself on being non-gullible, one of those people
who doubts everything until it is proven and who scorns those who fall prey to
the obvious scams in this world – but recent experience has shown me that there
is a difference between gullibility and being open to new ideas. How often do
we close ourselves to new possibilities by being unwilling to consider they may
be beneficial? How often do we take a leap of faith in the chance it may be a
success?
All I know is I am now a fiendishly colouring,
hooked-on-essential-oils devotee of massage therapy – and I am far more open to
new ideas than ever before, thanks to simply considering the possibilities
instead of shutting down my mind. As Shakespeare wrote: “There are more things in heaven
and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”, and just
maybe those things we dismiss as “black magic and mumbo jumbo” are some of
them.
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