Not Roast Duck
We officially have a toilet!
The shelves are up, the curtains are hung, and after two smashed toilets, Little Fox is finally taking shape.
Lately, Walker, Michelle, and I have been discussing the meaning of healing (yeah, we’re nerds) and I’m realizing that acupuncture, coaching, and Reiki are more alike than you’d think.
Walker and I were having a heated conversation. He’d received some inquiries from people looking for résumé edits and headhunter connections. “I can do those things,” he said, “but that’s not the real work.”
I chastised him; when a person is in crisis, it’s not the time for didacticism. “If someone needs acupuncture for a pulled neck,” I said, “I can’t tell them, ‘I’ll only fix your neck if you let me change your whole life.’ Sometimes, fixing necks in and of itself is the real work.”
The way he saw it, it was a little bit of both. “We’re not running a restaurant,” he said, “In a restaurant, you come in looking for roast duck and we give you roast duck. In our line of work, we poke around to find out what underlying issues are causing you to feel stuck. We partner with you to uncover what else might be going on and address the root cause, too.”
Roast duck, poking around for a root cause –– he was sounding a lot like a Chinese Medicine practitioner for a coach!
Later that day, Michelle and I were smoothing out the sheets on a treatment table, casually chatting about the darkest times in our lives (a classic ‘casual’ conversation between us). She was talking about how grateful she was for the hardships she’s experienced; they gave her the power to do the spiritual work she does now.
That’s when it hit me that Reiki for Michelle is what résumé work is for Walker. Michelle is more than a practitioner—she’s a spiritual guide.
The way Michelle has committed to her study of energy work has been inspiring to watch. Every time she tries out a new crystal, experiments with a new essential oil, or researches a new system of thought, I can see how intentionally she’s testing things out. She’s become so good at energy work that sometimes she walks into the office and I can literally feel the air change.
So the question remains: when someone is in crisis, how do we show up for them?
Are we guides, or do we fix necks, edit résumés, wave sage, install toilets, hang curtains, smooth sheets, and wait — creating the conditions for change, but letting the light find its own way in?
Fall is well underway, and in Chinese Medicine, we call this the Metal Season. You may find yourself preferring to be more introverted, preparing your home for the winter, and focusing on your work life.
Many of you have told me about how your careers are impacting your life and health — it would be great to sign up for an intro call with Walker to discuss your career goals.
An imbalanced metal element typically presents in this season as a propensity to get sick with the cold or flu. Emotionally, it can often present as a difficulty “letting go” of a family member or loved one who you have lost.
If you find any of this coming up, it would be a good idea to book an acupuncture session with me or a reiki healing session with Michelle to get spiritually aligned.
