a friend’s tragedy
I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone the other day, we’ve been playing phone tag for almost a couple months. She’s a massage therapist, or was, rather, and is working on changing profession. She was in a car accident a couple years ago, and has some nerve damage that has turned out to be irreparable.
She can only manage one or two massages on a good day now, and has seen the proverbial writing on the wall, and has gone back to school to re-train for another profession. To me, this was absolutely tragic. She was very good at what she did, and very knowledgeable too. I must confess that I’ve considered going into the massage field, but her experience is also one of two primary reasons I haven’t really seriously onsidered it. Though I am only middle aged, wear and tear on the body is a primary consideration I have.
Currently I work in the software world - if I get injured, short of something major that puts me in the hospital or on my back, I can work. If I change professions to something that relies on mobility or the ability to perform certain physical actions, anything that interferes with that, even temporarily, would impact my livelihood. As I’m a creature of habit and comfort, I don’t consider that an acceptable risk. the other one is more personal - I’m not a big people person anyway, and the thought of interacting with others all the time is too much for me. I need plenty f space and isolation from people - something I get sufficiently at work now, mostly. When I don’t, I put on my headphones and just block them out.
I feel for my friend and her situation, but at least she’s not alone. I know the situation must be driving her husband as crazy as it is her. Regardless, she seems ok with it, or has adjusted to it, and is moving on with her life. I think she viewsit a bit like the classic Zen story, related below.
An old farmer worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically. “May be,” the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed. “May be,” replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “May be,” answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “May be,” answered the farmer.
Time will tell.