I'll Have Sound, With a Chaser

About twice a month, I go for an acupuncture appointment. This is fairly new for me, and started because I have a good friend training to be certified in acupuncture at the moment. She is pursuing her second (and her dream) career, and I am getting educated by her on the benefits of Chinese medicine. She's not certified yet, so she introduced me to a classmate who is.

On the occasional Saturday, I arrive at Tai Sophia Institute, have a chat with D., my amazing acupuncturist, and she decides where all the needles are going to go for best effect that week. I love every minute of this treatment: I love lying in a dark room on a massage table with white sheets and soft pillows, shutting off my brain, and knowing that the needles are clearing the way for my body to balance its ch'i (energy) and bring me peace. And I also love the "quiet noise" that I know is coming when D. says, in her great Russian accent, "You want some sound machine?"

Yes, D.! I want some sound machine! Because when she turns the dial to "Crashing Waves" and leaves me to incubate in that small, dark, calm space for 15 minutes, I see this picture: beach chairs, white sand, foamy water, good friends, a few Stella Artois and lots of sun. It's the kind of place where I don't have any projects waiting to be finished, where everyone in my life is taken care of and doesn't need me, where I have no commitments or concerns that can't be put on hold. It's a "don't worry, be happy" kind of place.

It's so nice that whenever anyone asks me these days, "Can I get you anything?," I want to say, "Yes, please. I want some sound machine. Make mine Crashing Waves, with a side of Stella. And a big helping of ch'i."