A little stab of love

Darcy had an appointment for acupuncture earlier this week, and I decided I wanted to join her and take part in the fun!  I'd never been before, but I'm open to all new life experiences.  There is a wonderful little place in Manchester called Manchester Acupuncture Studio, and they operate under the philosophy that acupuncture is a valid medical option and it should not be cost prohibative.

As such, they price their sessions between $15 and $35 - you choose what you can afford to pay.  To keep costs down, they model the traditional community room setting that was most traditional in acupuncture settings in Asia.

We started by answering a fairly in depth medical questionnaire, and then we met with a consultant and discussed what our goals were, as well as our initial treatment plans.  Then we went into a cozy room with brick walls, high ceilings, lights, plants, and soothing sounds where we relaxed in a recliner and suggled up with a blanket while the hair thin needles were inserted into key locations, based upon our goals.

It was incredibly relaxing.  Many people fall into deep sleep that lasts for hours, and that is encouraged.  Others may just rest for 20-30 minutes and feel that is enough.  We were in that group, though they did warn us that the more we visit, the more comfortable we will be, so we may stay longer and longer. 

I can't wait to go again, and I'm in luck, because I have another appointment this morning!

With a song in my heart

While I do my best to choose joy daily, sometimes the things that take up the majority of my time in life end up souring my outlook, just a bit.  It's probably no coincidence that I have these feelings around the time I PMS, but there will always be those annoying times at life that cause us to choose misery and despair over joy.  It's our job to make sure we fight back.

Last night, I was feeling kind of blah.  I have a never ending pile of work to be done, that I couldn't possibly complete in normal business hours, my classes this semester are a time draining annoyance to me, and I can't seem to find the time to do all the work, I need to spend a lot of time working out to accomplish my weight loss and fitness goals, I need to devote about a month to reorganizing my house to make it work for me, and by the time I'm done with all of that stuff, when am I supposed to do the things I am passionate about?

Well, I truly don't know.  What I do know, however, is that when I feel this way, I need to take a step back and slow down.  If I don't, 10 years will pass and I'll be troubled by the same things. 

To give myself a moment to reflect, I decided to spend sometime outside in my hot tub, staring up at the sky and consider the things I care about.  I know I want to spend my life creating, doing good, being a force of positive change, laughing, loving and spreading joy.  Until I can afford to do that full time, I need to make sure I have time for these things in my day to day life.

Today, I decided to bring my iPod to work with me.  Work can be drainging, but it's a lot more fun if I'm chair dancing.  You should try it.

Sometimes the littlest of things are all we need to get us over a hump until we find our way back to our paths.