A long time patient of mine just told me that the longer he has been under my care, the more he is like a duck.  I was a little dumbfounded at first, but he went on to explain that ducks are comfortable in any weather.  While everyone else is complaining about the weather and other external circumstances over which they have no control, he is as content as a duck swimming in ice cold water while it is raining .

It is so true.  How often do we let external things that we cannot change influence our internal state.  People often complain that “this or that” is messing up their lives and making them miserable.  In doing so, they give up responsibility for their state of well-being and fall victim to the harsh realities of the world around them.  And when have we not been terrified of the economy collapsing and the world ending?

The next week, when I saw him again, he brought up the duck thing once more.  He asked if most of the circles I moved in were full of people like me.  After a bit of thought, I had to answer yes.  He went on to say he figured so, mainly because most people he came across were not.  I’m going to take it that he meant I was always in a good mood.

In any case, I realized in that moment that I used to think that I had to solve  people’s problems to make them happy.  When people were in pain, stressed out or unhappy, I took it upon myself to find a solution to their problem, yet again supporting the belief that some external force was needed to make them happy.  Yet here was my patient saying that he would not be so duck-like had it not been for the work he had done with me, not because I had solved his problems for him.

When I met him ten years ago, he was very sick with a condition that was so serious, his family was preparing for his funeral.  It was not a condition or a problem that I was ever going to be able to solve, but I did know that regardless of the seriousness of his illness, he would be much better off under my care.  Well, needless to say, it’s ten years later and he’s still here, bringing a smile to the faces of everyone he meets.  And it has not been without its ups and downs.  He had problems with his heart, his lungs and even cancer.  Any time I did not see him for a week, I was concerned.  I did not know how the work we were doing was affecting all those conditions, but we both knew that it was doing him good.  And so did his other doctors, his family and friends who did not expect to have him in, and enriching, their lives this long

During our discussion of his duck-like approach to life, I really realized the importance of what I have to offer people in their lives.  Yes, “sh#$ happens!”  Sometimes we are dealt some really bad cards.  But it’s just “what is.”  It has no meaning.  When we interpret our situations or circumstances to have some meaning about who we are, it can become really painful.  We feel like we are being punished for something, or that we missed out when God was handing our  lives.

The thing is that there is a natural order to everything in the universe.  There is a very delicate balance that is supported by everyone and everything.  If you were not here right now, just the way you are, the whole universal balance would be upset.  Could I really make it easier for people to accept that their lives are in fact a gift to the rest of the world?  I don’t know how good a job I’m doing, but it certainly brings me joy to believe that I’m doing it.  You see, everything is perfect right now and the conditions are set for the next step to unfold.  We can fight it by struggling and complaining, or we can accept that we have been set up so we can best contribute the gift of our lives to others.  Which one sounds like a nicer way to live in the face of crappy circumstances?

Now when I place my hands on a person’s body and I feel tension, I see it as their reaction to something that they are not accepting as the perfection in the universe.  As my touch brings their awareness and breath into the area, I know that they are coming closer to knowing who they are and why they are here.  Ultimately, through our work together, I hope we all become like my duck-like patient.  No matter what the weather, we are happy and at peace.