A Chiropractic Epiphany

I had my very first chiropractic visit last week and in the midst of it I had a few “a-ha” moments. It never ceases to amaze me how Life brings forth a lesson or two in the most surprising and unlikely settings.

First of all, the reason I had never gone to a chiropractor before was because I could not imagine going through all the twisting, turning, pulling, popping and cracking that I “knew” there would be….Hmmmmm, sounds a little like fear huh?? Actually, this a perfect example of projection: I made up a story based on my own assumptions and interpretations, and then projected it into my future to scare me…..you would think that I would know better, but seems that my humanness got the best of me this time. However, I am glad that I faced it, went through it, and busted the heck out of those funky “stories” that I had going on in my head.

Now I had heard all this great information about Dr. Al (www.comeychiropractic.com ) and how he had this very gentle chiropractic method. Sure enough, just a couple of taps behind the ear and I was ready to go. I felt like saying, “That’s it??!!” I am amazed at how we hold ourselves captive just through our way of making up a belief about something and then making that belief true in our mind…..hence, lesson number one.
Lesson number two came over the next couple of days after my visit. I began to feel some discomfort, as Dr. Al suggested that I might. It was odd to go through something so painless and yet have this soreness. But then again, I was reminded that whenever we shift, grow, heal, or go through a transformation, there is usually some discomfort that accompanies it…even when it is all good!! As all my muscles, tendons, and ligaments were all re-adjusting themselves, so it is when we go though a shift. The comfortable, predictable and familiar all go out the window when we change. Instead we are faced with uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and unpredictable feelings. However, if we stay the course, what we find is freedom on the other side. I have freedom from what my back was doing, and you have freedom whenever you let go of something (and face all the uncertainty that goes with it) that is not serving your highest good.

The third lesson I received was about alignment. Dr. Al took some x-rays and showed me how out of alignment my back was. I had no idea it was that bad. So here’s a question for you: How will you know if your Life is out of alignment? I had a brief flashback to my days as an automotive service advisor and the conversations I had with customers about keeping their car in alignment. Less wear and tear on the tires, better for the suspension, and better gas mileage, were all the top reasons for maintaining one’s car in alignment. And isn’t that so in Life as well??!! When you are in alignment, your life goes smoother, easier and has more flow. When your inner values, purpose, and integrity are all in alignment with your choices and actions, your life not only goes better, but you have perfect alignment. The challenge here is having your own “x-ray” system to evaluate your state alignment. You know how I am about lists….go make one and check it regularly. Call it your daily “mental floss”.

Little does Dr. Al know how powerful my visit was, but it just goes to remind me, and you too, that the lessons of life can show up anywhere at anytime. All we must do is be awake, aware, and open to them.

© From Illuminations and Sparks of Brilliance March 7, 2004, Ken Donaldson, Kenilee, Inc.