Ten years ago I performed my first professional massage, sending a “calling all guinea pigs” email to anyone I thought would be brave enough to lay on my table for an hour. They came. Not all at once, but they came all the same. Then they told their friends. Their friends told their friends. They kept coming back because they felt better. They felt less pain. They felt less stress and all the consequences that come along with it. They. Felt. Better.
I am in awe of you, my lovely clients. Some of you had never had a massage before and were skeptical. "Wasn't this something that was a feel-good luxury? Relaxation and nicey-nicey that you have done as a treat? It wasn’t really going to do anything about my pain, was it?"
The body is all connected, anatomically, physiologically and psychologically. It is one beautifully built machine. Every machine needs maintenance. Every machine needs a mechanic. That’s me, Body Mechanic, attending to all the rattles, knocks and pings as well as the cranky parts that show up every once in a while or those stubborn ones that tend to overstay their welcome. You are brave. You tried something new. You took an active part in your well-being. We became partners, partners with a vested interest in your overall health.
I am not a fixer. I am a healer. There is a difference. You have been working hard on those sore necks and backs, spending an abundance of time on clenched jaws, furrowed brows and shoulders up around your ears. That cannot be fixed in an hour. Healing is a process that we both participate in. I am honored to be a part of your well-being team. Some of you have been with me since the beginning. I have watched your progress and am so proud of your participation and willingness to play a vital role in your whole body health. Together we have found solutions. Each session is different because each day we are different people with a multitude of undertakings that affect our mental and physical beings. Stress is one of the biggest factors in our lives and the results can be debilitating. We are a detective duo searching for clues and insight. You make my day when you arrive excited by a discovery, a repetitive motion, posture or event that has contributed to an issue you struggle with and by changing it you have found improvement.
You gave me permission to use my hands for healing you. And in turn you healed me. You told me about your aches, physical and emotional, you shared your stories and your lives with me. Massage has turned friends into clients and clients into friends. I am deeply honored by your trust and your continued faith in the power of nurturing hands. It is rewarding hearing sighs of relief and witnessing elated smiles when you can move more freely and pain is less. Relief for you, a hit of dopamine for me, connection for both.
Ten years is a massage milestone. I started Hands2Nurture in September 2013 not realizing the impact it would have in my life. Schlepping my table and gear in the very beginning, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs so you could navigate the maze of the TEC Center (now The Square) to find my tiny office in the basement, the early years were a period of learning. For the last six-plus years my massage home has been nestled in the heart of Dublin watching this community grow and thrive. Watching us grow and thrive. You bring me joy. Healing hands. Hands2Nurture.