Stone to Water Therapeutics

Keeping it simple today.

And it’s ok if this morning started off rocky, each moment gives us an opportunity to refresh our attitude and do the best we can.

May all of my Jewish friends enjoy a Happy and Sweet New Year!May all of my Jewish friends enjoy a Happy and Sweet New Year!

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about ju...st driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' 'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life.. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward this - I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won't have to be asked to pass it along you just will... Thank you, my friend... Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Massage Therapy is Healthcare at its best with many health benefits for all.September is National Cholesterol Education Month. Getting a Body-Mind Treatment addresses both physical and emotional stress relief.

Need some inspiration today? Read about Mrs.Jones who creates beauty first in her mind then enjoys the results!

A little stress management for today.

Learn how The MELT Method helps with plantar fasciitis. Contact me to find out how MELT and massage are the perfect partners.

How do you know when you are trying too hard to get back up?

There are common phrases we all have used that may be creating a lack of report and respect instead of the open communication we crave that creates trust and respect in the workplace and our daily lives. As we prepare to re enter the workplace and attend many virtual meetings, this is a very timely and inspiring look the unintended results phrases create.

Yes you are meant to grow especially when it comes with great effort with no guarantees!

A beautiful moment just for you today as we all need to remember who we are.

This is a fascinating brief article from Dr.Mark Waldman’s new ebook, Practical NeuroWisdom, Global Anxiety. It offers a brief important use for yawning while wearing a mask and its benefits. It is very useful science based information for those in the Massage Therapy or other clinic settings about to return to work. Pandemic Anxiety Makes Your Brain Temperature Go Up. Yawning Makes It Go Down!... -Mark Waldman There are now more than 60 studies showing how essential yawning is to maintain a healthy brain, and not a single one to dispute this evidence-based discovery. Yawning decreases anxiety. It stops you from ruminating on negative thoughts and feelings. It brings greater clarity and calmness. It helps you to make better decisions to achieve your desired goals. But there’s a trick: Don't just yawn a few times; practice doing three slow MINDFUL yawns so that you can actually experience the subtle shift in your mood and mental state. It brings you into the present moment, interrupting worrisome thoughts about the future. And it’s contagious! Do conscious yawning with a group of people and you should experience more empathy and cooperation. Nearly every form of neurological stress caused by negative emotions, improper medication or disease literally heats up the brain. And yes: getting angry make you a Hot Head who cannot think clearly or rationally. When neurons become overly active, yawning will increase cerebral blood flow that will slow down excessive activity in the brain. That’s why animals and people yawn when they wake up to clear out the vague dreamlike state that filled with imaginative fantasies. And if you are feeling ill or feverish it's ESSENTIAL to yawn 5-10 times several times an hour to help your brain cool down and to boost the power of your immune system to heal. One more thing: wearing a medical mask will also heat up your brain so make sure you learn how to evoke genuine yawns before putting it on and after taking it off. Can’t yawn? Breathing in slowly through your nostrils and exhaling through your mouth has a similar thermoregulatory effect. ---SOURCES--- Yawning and stretching predict brain temperature changes in rats: support for the thermoregulatory hypothesis. Shoup- Knox ML, Gallup AC, Gallup GG, McNay EC. Front Evol Neurosci. 2010 Sep 24;2:108. Effect of wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator on superomedial orbital infrared indirect brain temperature measurements.DiLeo T, Roberge RJ, Kim JH.J Clin Monit Comput. 2017 Feb;31(1):67-73. 5