Massage

Let's talk about massage for a minute, OK? Obviously, I am a massage therapist. This may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but, to me, it is a very big deal indeed. Like many people, I have always worked. When my husband was alive, I worked because he couldn't. It never occurred to me to not work. I don't feel extraordinary in this...lots of people work way harder than I ever did. But when the dust settled after my husband's death, I realized that the work I was doing as a juvenile probation officer was not providing me with a sense of accomplishment any longer. Politics, and bureaucracy and very irresponsible parenting made it all but impossible to rectify bad situations in a satisfying way. And I just got tired of it. Now, I absolutely could have stayed in my job for the next 13 years until retirement with the outside world being none the wiser. But I just couldn't do it. So I took myself to massage school. I had always been interested in alternative and eastern health remedies, and felt like massage was a good fit; school did not take thousands of years, it was not going to put me in debt, and it was beautiful in it's simplicity...but challenging all at the same time. It had it's ups and downs, but it was totally worth it. I love doing massage. Now here's where the jokes come in, right? I know...I have heard them all and I have laughed at the jokes...because they're funny and my skin is not that thin. But let's look at the serious side for a moment; massage is an ancient healing art that deserves some respect. There is so much to learn about the miracle of the human body. The simplest, focused, trained touch can improve someones life tremendously. That's downright noble don't you think? After years of trying to fix broken lives and not being able to..it's no wonder that I am amazed each and every time I release a tight muscle and ease someones pain. It's not me...it's the training and the technique and the thousands of years of knowledge. But I can't help feeling satisfied all the same.

So when it came to my attention that many people (well, men mostly) are uncomfortable with their wives or girlfriends giving massage to the other half of the population, I was confused...and angry. To think that there is anything shady going on during a massage is a testament to epic distrust for the massage therapist and nothing more. The MT is in control of that situation, believe me. And every massage is so much like a puzzle that you sort of forget that it's an actual person on the table....it's a series of muscles and tissues that needs to be solved. To equate a massage with the five second "back rub" a man gives his girlfriend or wife in the hope that it leads to sex is so ridiculous that I want to laugh. To those people who think that way I say, "grow the ^$#@ up!" Also, I say when are people going to understand that we don't possess each other? If someone you love has a job or career that they really enjoy don't be threatened by it as if they can't love their profession and you too. Good grief...be happy that they love what they do..and if you don't like what you do everyday then maybe you should think about being brave enough to make a change. My friend Eric used to say all the time, "don't blow out my candle to make yours burn brighter." It sort of applies here. Get over yourselves, men. Seriously!