Traditions

Dear Patient,

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions.

I’m working my way through a continuing education course about a style of acupuncture that’s been practiced for about a thousand years, passed down through the lineage of one family. Now it’s being shared with a modern generation of practitioners, who use it to treat conditions that didn’t even exist a thousand years ago. The ages-old wisdom of a tradition is applied in new ways to a changing world.

I’ve talked with many people who have experienced loss this year—death of family members, divorce, job loss. This time of year especially, traditions can magnify our grief and remind us who’s missing. Sometimes moving on means letting go of traditions.

One of my family’s holiday traditions is that dinner table standard, green bean casserole. I’m usually the one responsible for making it, and some years when I’m feeling adventurous I’ll ditch the instructions on the side of the cream of mushroom soup can, and instead make a gourmet version inspired by some fancy food blogger. The gourmet version invariably tastes better, but there’s comfort in the classic version. Traditions can be flexible.

Traditions enhance our sense of belonging, strengthen our social and familial connections, and reinforce our values. They matter. But it’s okay to adapt them, upgrade them, or even put them to rest. Because in the end, traditions are about you and your place in the world. The choice of what to do with those traditions is yours.

Love and gratitude,

Your Acupuncturist