Dear Patient,
Last week Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh died at the age of 95. In his book Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living, he wrote this:
“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos—the trees, the clouds, everything.”
It seems like in today’s society, “keeping your body healthy” often feels like a chore, or a means to an end, or both. It takes effort. It requires discipline and denial. It costs money. We do it because presumably there’s a payoff at some point, even if we’re unsure what exactly that is. It feels arduous and interminable.
We could try looking at it another way, which is to remove ourselves from the equation. “Healthy” doesn’t have to be a goal. It doesn’t have to produce a tangible result. It doesn’t have to be documented and posted and shared. It doesn’t have to be a standard you may or may not measure up to. “Healthy” doesn’t even have to be about you.
It can simply be an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
Thank you.