These Tiny Needles - A Tribute
These tiny needles have had an immeasurable impact on my life. In 1999 I left a budding career in Sports Television in pursuit of meaning and fulfillment. I followed my soul's calling to move to California and landed in San Diego. As soon as I arrived my spiritual awakening began. I took my first yoga class, meditated for the first time, and filled my hands with books on topics like Feng Shui and Chinese Medicine, all while paying the bills with a corporate job.
About a year and a half into San Diego, my company moved me to San Francisco, only to let me go a few months later when they fell victim to the tech crash. I was left in my mid twenties questioning what direction I wanted to take my life in. My boyfriend at the time suggested going to acupuncture school, and I thought, you can go to school for that!? Keep in mind this is 2001 before organic foods, yoga, and alternative medicine became cool. I applied and began the program without ever having a treatment. I was philosophically enraptured.
I began the program shortly after the 9/11 attacks and received regular acupuncture treatments during my first year of school to help me release the anxiety and difficulty sleeping that they had triggered. As the program began, so did the total evolution of a traditional, conforming, conservative East Coast girl into a healer. During school, I was challenged to exchange my Western thought paradigm for an Eastern one. I started looking at my life differently, bringing awareness to my body and mind, and dove into the spiritual universe unconditionally.
One of the gifts of Chinese Medicine is that it helps people learn more about who they are and shows them how to connect and listen to their body. Beyond school, I also studied integrative nutrition and learned about the organic food movement in Berkeley. I continued to explore yoga and meditation. I tried Reiki, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi. I cooked Chinese Herbs in a clay pot and drank them. I took flower essences and used essential oils. I worked with a clairvoyant regularly to heal, evolve, and connect with my intuition. I did yoga retreats and shamanic journeys. And I also danced the nights away with a community of friends from college. It was an incredible period in my life that ultimately took me from a typical mainstream American into a modern hippie. And while this transformation occurred, the alternative health movement began to grow in our country.
In 2004, during my last year of the program, I got a bit restless - as I tended to being in one place for too long. I left for Bali, Indonesia where I lived in Ubud for three months and volunteered at a local acupuncture clinic. I also studied with indigenous healers and spent time at a local ashram. It was a magical and life changing experience. I stopped in Australia on my way back to the States and when I landed in Los Angeles thinking I would be happy to be home after all that time away, I felt the opposite. Three weeks later, I had given away all of my belongings and was on a flight back to Australia. It was reckless, but I felt wild and free for the first time in my life. I bought a 1975 volvo, went topless at the beach, and answered to no one but myself. I interned at an Acupuncture Clinic just north of Byron Bay, studied Color Therapy and the Australian Bush Flower Essences. I also fell in love and got married. It was a whirlwind year.
When I returned to the States, I finished my degree before setting up my first private practice outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2007. It was special because I grew up there and had that built in support. I also worked at a local hospital. As I began my professional and married lives, I had my family around and it felt good to return to my roots as I began this new life - even though I knew I wouldn't stay in the area long. Culturally, I am a California girl and the calling returned. A few months after giving birth to my son, we set the intention to move West and an opportunity came up for my husband to transfer to San Diego.
In 2010, I left the suburbs of Philadelphia for San Diego with my husband, son, and our 3 Pomeranians. We set up life and practice in my dream town of Cardiff by the Sea. The next seven years gave me a daughter, an incredible community, a move to Sydney, a move back from Sydney, a divorce, and three of the most difficult and life changing years of my life. But, that's a story for another time. No matter where I lived or what I did, being an Acupuncturist has been part of my identity for a long time now.
One of my favorite professors once said to me, "you'll be a great Acupuncturist...in 10 years." I laughed. And knew it was a meaningful statement. Today, I know exactly what he meant. I've gained an incredible amount of wisdom and experience over the years. Mostly, I've learned how to be a better person. I've learned how to listen, really listen to what someone is saying and what they need. I've learned the mechanics of health, what works and what doesn't. And the lessons I taught my patients were lessons that I needed to learn the most for myself - of hope, of faith, and of love. It's been an incredible ride. Even today, I get texts and emails from patients with photos of babies from women who thought they would never be able to have them, with stories of wildest dreams fulfilled, and with appreciation for simply being present and supportive through a difficult time. I'm so honored that I was able to spend part of my life practicing this humble career that is chosen by those who truly care about the well being of others and about making the world a better place.
Here are my top 10 gems of wisdom for your soul!
1. The most important factor in health and healing is emotion. Emotional health equals physical health. Emotion is the energy that you have in relationship to a person, place, or thing. It holds all the secrets and all the medicine. If tears aren't shed in my treatment room, it's not a successful day and a heart remains guarded. Heal your emotions.
2. The second is your body and what you are doing with it. It's the truth. You may just not want to hear it. But, you cannot eat like crap, sit on your ass, and expect to live an awesome life. You are what you eat, what you think, what you say, and what you do.
3. We all have wounds. When we live life with unhealed wounds, we are living unconsciously. When we live life with awareness of our wounds, we are living consciously. The first is a struggle. The second is a journey. There is no magic path through life. You will have loss and you will die. And acknowledging that can be incredibly liberating! Your past is there to help guide you to your purpose here on planet earth. Your future is going to bring you what you believe in. How do you want to live this life and what kind of life do you want to live?
4. Everything is about perspective. Your mind can be your biggest enemy or your biggest friend. Unconscious living is ruled by the mind. Conscious living is ruled by the heart. The mind a machine. Stop identifying with it and put it to good use. If you aren't liking your outlook, instead of remaining blocked in a pattern, ask for a new pathway. One will be created. There is always a choice.
5. Natural medicine is incredibly powerful. We need each other to heal. Go see an Acupuncturist, get Reiki, go on a Shamanic Journey...there is no one answer for all. And there is rarely one miraculous moment. But each experience has value and experiences add up into something powerful. There are amazing healers and guides for each of us in our lives. Keep seeking. Never stop seeking. And learn how to ask for help.
6. Study intuition. It's a superpower. No matter what profession you are in or who you are, your intuition is your foolproof personal guidance system. Study it, test it, develop it, live by it, each and every day. Your life can completely transform with this superpower.
7. Your overall health can be found in a snap shot of your life: the state of your home, the state of your relationships, the state of your body, the state of your career. Nurture one area, and all will be impacted.
8. Spiritual connection is what we are lacking. The majority of patients are looking for spiritual connection. Wanting to know that there is something more to life. Wanting to feel like they are making an impact on others' lives. Wanting to know that they are loved and cherished. There is and you are. I promise.
9. Speaking of love. Love is everything. A lack of love is the undercurrent of every problem. And an abundance of love is the solution to every problem. Love grows from within. Devote every day to loving yourself more and to loving others more. Discover joy in the little things. And let go of all the rest. Let it go. Just be you!
10. These tiny needles are magical.