Thank you for joining us for this week’s blog to see if and how I stretch the limits of my comfort zone…

To say the least, it was a difficult session for both the therapist and me. Though I tried so hard to relax and not be tense, it was a losing battle.

The therapist made idle conversation to help me relax more while he worked on my tense body. But as soon as he relaxed one area of my body, it would tighten up when he moved on to the next area.

The session seemed so long. Although I was there to relax, I became increasingly stressed.

Finally, the therapist said what I was longing to hear: “Okay, I’m finishing and will step out while you get dressed. Be careful getting up. You may be dizzy. I’ll meet you at the front desk.”

I quickly dressed and went to the front desk. There, the therapist offered me water and asked, “How do you feel?”

I exclaimed, “Wow, I can actually move my neck!”

As I bent my neck from side to side and front to back, I was amazed. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how little I could move my neck for the last several years.

Then the therapist’s face got the strangest look. He said, “That’s what happens when you get a massage.”

After a long day of teaching the following day, I received a call.

“Hello, this is Jacob, your therapist from yesterday. I’m calling to check up on you. How did you do after yesterday’s session?”

I was impressed that Jacob cared enough to follow up with me.

Little did I know then that he’d told his secretary to not enter me into his client list because he had already written me off as never returning.

I shared that I slept well for the first time in months and was still able to move my neck.

By habit, Jacob asked, “Would you like to schedule another session?” I replied, “When can you see me next?”

I returned three days later and again the next week. And I’ve returned for regular massage therapy sessions since then.

So, I not only found a therapist, I developed a new friendship. Actually, I gained an adopted family member in the process.