Signs

Dear Patient,

Sign. It’s a word with so many connotations. In medicine, symptoms are a sign of illness and imbalance in the body. In a spiritual context, we talk about a sign from God, or the universe, or the heavens. A sign hoisted at a rally reflects deeply-held political convictions.

Signs are little clues, holographic images reflecting a much larger truth. They instruct, enlighten, inform, infuriate. They point the way forward and tell us when to stop. They convey everything in an instant.

The other day I saw a sign on my drive home from work. It was Saturday, the end of my work week, and I was hungry and eager to get home and rest. But traffic was unusually heavy, and my normally speedy route home was moving at a snail’s pace. I sat in my car as people walking on the sidewalk blazed past me. I inched my way along, growing more annoyed by the minute.

And then I saw it. A sign.

An ordinary piece of paper tacked to a nondescript utility pole, so small and unassuming I would have missed it had I been driving at my usual speed. Its message couldn’t have been more pertinent: take a deep breath.

And so I did. And I felt better.

Do you need to take a deep breath? Well, consider this your sign.

Love and gratitude,

Your Acupuncturist