Wellness In-Sight: It Doesn’t Take Much

CINDY E. FARRAR

For some time now, I have been contemplating and observing how we interact with each other. What tends to stand out of late is the terseness in communication, the increase of impatience and overwhelming lack of empathy and compassion. When the awareness of this pattern of behavior begins to weigh heavily, unexpected occurrences in surprising places momentarily and pleasantly break the trend and allow for refocusing.

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, was one such occurrence and, in all places, a local fast-food restaurant. That day I had gotten a late start leaving my house to get going to my office in time to be ready for my first massage client. Already pressed for time, I needed to run by a store to restock an office item we were out of, my gas tank was dangerously low, and my stomach was empty.

Wanting to tend first to my body’s need, I pulled into the restaurant and found the drive-thru lines wrapped around the building. So, I put on my mask and dashed inside. Breathing a sigh of relief to find no one else in line, I walked up to the counter. I was greeted with a calm presence and a welcoming smile by a young woman we’ll call “A.” As I placed the order, I fumbled with my phone to find the rewards app. A, clearly picking up on my somewhat harried demeanor, asked, “How is your morning going?” Realizing just how distracted I was being, and not my usual intentionally engaging self, I paused, and responded with a grin, “It’s going ok. Thank you for asking.” A replied, “You’re welcome!” Then, almost inaudibly, she quietly added, “It doesn’t take much.”

As her quiet words landed, I was certain A wasn’t being snarky. Rather, she was acknowledging just how easy it really is to be present and kind to one another. As I left, I couldn’t help but smile, finding the pressure of my time demands lifting. My next stops, the gas station then the store, seemed to go remarkably quickly. I made it to my office with time to spare, allowing time to practice Tai Chi Qi Gong, and be grounded and present for the arrival of my client.

That simple phrase, “It doesn’t take much,” has obviously stayed with me over the past weeks. Just in case I forgot, I was given a reminder last week during a discussion with a new business acquaintance. We were sharing experiences we’ve had in our respective professions working directly with people, and commenting on how, especially now more than ever, we need compassion and kindness. Out of the blue, she casually says, “It doesn’t take much.” I chuckled inside and felt my heart warm at the affirmation.

It can be easy to get distracted by our life needs and obligations. And even easier to feel the heaviness of the world as we witness civility being forgotten and humanity intentionally ignored. However, opportunities abound to make a difference. In the words of Desmond Tutu, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” It doesn’t take much.

CINDY E. FARRAR, LMT, BCTMB, CLC is a licensed massage therapist, certified life coach and the owner of Massage Associates of Atlanta, LLC (Lavista Road in Tucker). In addition, she is a certified Qi Gong instructor and a nationally approved continuing education provider for massage therapy and bodywork. Cindy enjoys sharing insights on wellness and personal and community development as a speaker and writer.