Day 24: Travel Safe, Travel Well

By Master Tigger MacGregor

Last day of advent! When I was little I was always foxed by the advent calendars that stopped on the 24th - I mean, the 25th's the big day, right? And no, it wasn't all about the chocolate: I never had a chocolate advent calendar as a child - instead we had a stash of advent calendars that had been bought over the years and I got to have several in different places in the house. Mainly because I could never manage to choose my favourite...

Every journey has to end and the same is true for the NO HANDS advent adventures. I'd love to hear how you found the series - it's certainly been memorable from this end. Definitely in a good way, though. So as advent (NO HANDS and otherwise) comes to a close my thoughts turn to new beginnings. For some it's the birth of Christ, for me it's the first tips of snowdrops peaking through - the promise of Spring. The winter has always been a (literally and sometimes metaphorically) dark time but with the added pressure of COVID, and this year Omicron, the hope of Spring becomes even more important.

As you reflect on 2021 and even your plans for 2022, I invite you to consider your own resilience - what would support you in all you do, including all you do for those around you? Maybe it's affording yourself more rest, factoring in some nurturance or even convincing your boss that having regular Chair massage in the workplace would be AWESOME.

At this time of year I also find myself thinking a lot about the soil, the earth. Building soil rich in organic matter is a great way to capture carbon, as well as creating a wonderful medium to grow veggies and other plants - and if you've got a compost loo, clearing out your colon can all be part of the process!

You Are Enough- I can't say this enough. Honestly, call me up if ever you need to hear it. Over the years we are fed so many damaging messages that everything we can do to reverse that is super important. Which is just one reason why teaching our children about safe touch and consent is so important. Touch is a tool - sadly it is too often it has very negative associations but it is also the most powerful tool for healing I know.

The beginning is not the end: however this year started for you, you have a choice about how you are, how you engage with the world as it ends. Maybe you're really happy in your life but want to move from "doing OK" to "doing awesome" and learn how to use Touch to do that. Especially if you're time rich but cash poor. Maybe a bigger change is in the offing - you're not happy with the work you're doing and it's a complete career change. I can highly recommend a career in therapeutic Touch. We vitally need more Massage therapists and Touch professionals - we'd love you to join us. Perhaps you're the kind of person who'd like to read about it first to get a flavour. Maybe you just like reading - and reading about the Touch and bodywork from a book that's pure revolutionary poetry has piqued your interest.

Christmas is often associated with rich foods and, yes indeedy, over-eating: so you may want to book in to give your body and your belly some love in the new year. Our therapists have some great January offers - make sure you're on our mailing list to have them delivered straight to your inbox.

These next 10 days can also often be hard going - tensions can be high, and so finding ways to stay OK and be tolerant are really important. Be kind to yourself, be kind to those around you, go slow. Remember that love is a doing thing.

And, above all else, I really, truly, with my heart open and my best wishes for you & your family, invite you to

Choose Love

It's been a delight sharing some thoughts and opportunities with you over these past 24 days - I look forward to more connections in 2022.

Much love,

Master Tigger MacGregor