The journey of the mug
Dear Patient,
A while back someone sent this message to my clinic’s Facebook page:
I’m in FL and I just purchased this cup from a thrift store here. I collect coffee cups and love this one and I need to know more about it. Whoever came up with it is awesome! You made me smile. ☕️😁
It was such a lovely, surprising gesture—someone hundreds of miles away taking the time to send a message of thanks. What a journey this mug had been on, traveling from Tennessee to Florida, to land in the sights of a coffee cup collector browsing the shelves at her local thrift store. My clinic had even undergone a name change, and she took the time to track us down.
Her message made my day.
One simple, thoughtful act is preceded by countless others that add up to a moment of connection. Before this person hit “send” on that Facebook message, someone first bought the mug from my shelf. Someone wrapped it in preparation for its long journey to another state. Someone donated it when it no longer served them. Someone unwrapped it. Someone placed it on a display shelf. Hands touched and carried and protected it from chips and breaks. Little flashes of care and intention, conspiring towards this moment.
As objects pass through our hands, and as people pass through our lives, it’s nice to imagine that we are stops on their journey. The loving attention we pay to them, however brief, keeps them intact as they are carried forth to their next destination.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
P.S. I can’t take credit for the cheeky saying on the mug—lots of other community acupuncture clinics use the same slogan because people do in fact sleep in a room full of strangers at our clinics. Collective naps are a beautiful thing!