Intention

This is what I wrote on my Instagram account @mgacupuncture on New Year’s Eve when contemplating the year to come after a few days away: “Acupuncture practice intention for 2023: to support each patient in resolving their health issues so they can follow their calling with passion”.

I think we get a little turned around when it comes to understanding passion. As defined, it means a strong liking or desire for some activity, object, or concept. This is true but I believe that passion is just as much an attitude of becoming present with what is before you. Wouldn’t you rather spend your day filled with passion for whatever you do?

A good example of someone who does this naturally can be found in the artist Patti Smith. Smith is known for myriad artistic pursuits from her first poetry reading at St. Mark’s Church in the East village in 1971 that she spontaneously turned into a rock concert to authoring the book Just Kids that won a National Book Award in 2010, as well as releasing 11 albums, writing poetry, and taking compelling photographs.

In an article I recently read about Smith (Harper’s Bazaar, The Art Issue, Dec 2022/Jan 2023), she confessed that she found as much satisfaction in sewing buttons on her husband’s shirt and working on the hem of her daughter’s skirt when she took time out of the public eye to raise her children as she did in her high-profile artistic achievements. Her move from NYC to the outskirts of Detroit to focus on family for 16 years baffled her fans. The Village Voice, that finger on the pulse of the avant garde and cutting-edge art, had a drawing of her during this time with hooves and udders that was captioned “domestic cow”. Regardless, she found “simple joys” in her decision, and when it was time to return to the public eye, she came back stronger than ever artistically.

My point is this: maybe we just need an attitude adjustment to be passionate every day. Maybe we need to search what is before us, no matter what that is, to find beauty. I strongly believe that acupuncture can help with this change in perspective. Recently I have added the option of an additional 15 minutes to my typical one-hour sessions to support the treatment with lifestyle adjustment suggestions from a Chinese Medical perspective. 2023 is the year we can intend to lift our lives out of the mundane to experience the extraordinary in the ordinary. Sound good?

Happy New Year!