On getting a massage

A thistle is a beautiful plant — with an overactive defense mechanism.  One must imagine that they are the most delicious of plants and have grown those prickles in order to stay safe.  I know how they feel.

I am a prickly person.  I throw up barriers right and left to strangers, acquaintances, friends, and family.  Poke me the wrong way on the wrong day and you’ll have welts from my spiky defenses.

So, letting my guard down is difficult.  Stepping out of my clothes and lying down on a massage table, covered only in a cool white sheet is a supreme act of trust for me (and many others, I know!).  Relaxing and enjoying that experience is an act of will.  Trusting those close to me is difficult; more so trusting a stranger.

I know there will be benefits.  I know I will leave feeling renewed and relaxed and . . . open, with thorns smoothed down, with prickles eased away, without as many defenses in place.

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