September, 2009

On the one hand I definitely think too much, but on the other hand I think I don't think enough about the right stuff. I just go round and round in my head about issues I can't solve.

Yesterday I received a copy this report from my friend Bev. I thought it something to be shared by our community. The mission of Other Worlds being to educate about alternative models of social and economic relations. Sounds like CAN to me...

By Beverly Bell and Other Worlds Collaborative

Goodbye and many thanks Community Acupuncture. My life has called me onwards and I am returning all of my focus to my work with children and the expressive arts. I am in the process of gently pulling up my roots around here and thought saying thanks and goodbye to this network is certainly part of that.

In light of the recent forum posts regarding CAN’s future, I was attracted to the following story to help me clarify my intention as a CA practitioner wanting to take a more active role in CAN’s evolution.

New to the CAN blogs, I think it best that I introduce myself. I’m Steve, a newbie in the  Community Acupuncture movement and one who’s returned from a long hiatus after my BA practice. In essence, I’m starting fresh with almost no previous patients to draw from.

Its official, we are open! (www.FeelGreatCharleston.com) We opened our doors last Tuesday and had a nice mellow week with eight treatments(one was actually me). I have to say It would have been way more difficult to have done this without the help of some key people.

Over Labor Day weekend, a small group of acupuncturists, acupuncture students and our community clinic volunteers gathered at my house to view the documentary Finding Normal and to have a discussion about it as well as Lisa Rohleder’s blog posts on the movie.

I just left the clinic and bumped into the Emperor coming up the stairs in the Community Center where CommuniChi is located - well, sort of anyways. Governor Christine Gregoire was dressed in work pants and a United Way t-shirt and was flanked by other volunteers as part of a community service day, fixing up the center, gardening, hauling out old furniture, etc.

"[Ted Kennedy] never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels
when a child is badly sick; and he was able to imagine what it must be
like for those without insurance; what it would be like to have to say
to a wife or a child or an aging parent – there is something that could
make you better, but I just can't afford it."

While practicing the style taught in U.S. Chinese Medicine schools, I read these articles written by Lisa Rohleder in 2006-07 for Acupuncture Today (the paper versions):

"Acupuncture and Social Entrepreneurship", March '06 http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=30335

I was cleaning my house today. Well, I got through most of the kitchen, anyway. So I was scrubbing grout with the toothbrush (which makes it sound like my house must be really clean, but it's not), and thinking about how meditative labor is. Doing a simple job, shutting off the intellectual commentary.

Just like acupuncture.

One of our staff had a great idea of
putting out a Gratitude Box this spring and letting folks write down
what they're thankful for and put it in the box, or to get inspiration from what others have
written. I was going through the box last week, and it was so nice to
see such heartfelt thoughts, I felt I had to share them.

I was just musing on this idea of face time and how it is often brought up as a possible shortcoming of practicing CA. Those of us practicing CA know it's not true, and every day in our clinics sharing people's lives in such a daily, genuine, open way we know how crazy the whole idea is.

This Fall marks the 10th anniversary of the first time I got an acupuncture treatment.    

I recently read a book (“Sacred Commerce”) written by one of my favorite entrepreneurs, Terces Engelhart.  She and her husband Matthew share a strong philosophy based on love, optimism and abundance.