by Karen Ball
I lost my cell phone a while back. Actually, I didn’t lose it; I left it at a friend’s in Montreal, and discovered I had no phone just as I was about to cross the border into the United States in my car. My first thought was to call my friend to alert him I was on my way back – and then realized that, of course, I couldn’t do that – I didn’t have a phone or his phone number!! Then I started thinking about all that I couldn’t do without my phone, and how reliant my life had become on that smart little item. It was scary.
Later – back on the road, headed south again, cell phone safely in my purse now – I started to think about what life would be like without hands. (Believe me, I don’t know where that thought came from either. Too many hours alone on the road, with nothing but my mind to amuse me!) Can you imagine your life without your hands? A life where you couldn’t caress a loved one, pet your cat, play the guitar, type on your computer, thread a needle, put an earring in your ear, chop veggies, give a “high five”. The list goes on and on and on.
Our hands are amazing structures, capable of infinite skill and adaptation. They are the preeminent instrument of the artist in all departments – and we take them for granted. In our day-to-day lives we use our hands to “grab hold of life” or to push away that which we do not want. Relaxed, flexible and strong hands make it easier to reach out and grasp what life has to offer, or create a boundary between ourselves and the parts of the world from which we wish to keep distance.
Fortunately, most of us are blessed to have hands, although some endure a life with limited use of these gifts. These folks sadly experience hardship and dependence on others, not to mention pain, resulting from arthritis, overuse, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injuries, breaks, etc.
As I type this article, I give thanks for my hands, and remind myself of the importance of taking care of them. To stretch and strengthen the muscles of the hands and forearms, to keep the skin clean, moisturized and especially relaxed and pain-free.
Reflexology for the Hands is a two-day workshop that teaches you how to give one of the safest and most nurturing sessions you can offer your family, clients and yourself. We also practice self-care techniques that you can easily teach others. We soak, exfoliate, moisturize and just plain love-up our precious hands. All those wonderful experiences, in addition to the full-body benefits of an intentional hand reflexology protocol. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Plan to join us at FSM on July 12th and 13th. Your hands will never feel so good.
NCBTMB, Florida, ARCB CEs. Details and registration here.
