Yes folks, they do still exist!
A recent brief trip to the City proved to be quite the unexpectedly provocative experience. Instantly, I was catapulted back to a grim, 3-week stint as a university student surveying one of London’s corporate buildings. This less-than-joyous memory coupled with the frantic atmosphere and overbearing architecture sent me into a mild panic and I was suddenly compelled to start a conversation with my 6-year-old about her future career and life choices. In a perhaps not-so-subtle manner I was hoping to impress upon her the possibility of creative career options that did not involve office politics, hot desking, stultifying views, and 20 minute M&S lunch breaks. Reassured by her insistence on her future career as a ‘professional drummer/bookshop owner, who manages an animal sanctuary, whilst dabbling in a spot of part-time tap-dancing ’ (you go, girl!), I also felt a renewed sense of gratitude for my own work situation.
As if to echo these sentiments, the working week that unfolded before me was to reach new heights of epically rewarding proportions. In the studio I saw the return of several clients who’d had major surgical procedures. It was most gratifying to see how quick their post-operative recovery had been owing in part to their previous diligence on the mat. Some classes also contained a number of clients recovering from a selection of injuries, including breakages. Adapting sessions to accommodate those with a limited range of movement is always a challenge, but it’s one that I relish. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever had a week involving quite so many individualised modifications. It certainly kept me on my toes! Imagine how elated I felt to witness high levels of competency and improved confidence across the classes in spite of the various debilitating circumstances. Reinforced proof, if ever it was needed, that regular bodywork is the key to maintenance and successful recovery. Clinic was an equally auspicious affair. I was delighted by the progress of several of my more serious cases whose chronic disease symptoms were now under control. In fact, one client had reduced their off-the-charts inflammatory markers to ‘normal’ using diet and lifestyle methods alone. Following lengthy periods of misery, the opportunity to live a ‘normal’ pain-free life is always the goal in chronic degenerative disease. Mission accomplished.
Now, my normal day averages out at a 14-hour stint. I also generally work all 7 days in the week (with the odd day off here and there.) That’s not to say that I work all day, every day, but I am on the go pretty much most of the week. Many might think this is madness but to me, it’s a winning formula. First and foremost, it allows me the time to be flexible around the needs of my daughter. It also enables me to attend regular CPD workshops as well as seminars and Webinars. Curiously the long hours that I keep do not seem as laborious and drawn-out as the nine-to-fiver that I once worked in what now seems like another lifetime.
The truth is that I’m passionate about my work. I love to help people improve their lives and I love to learn. Those two aspects are a constant in my day-to-day existence. I suppose that there is a degree of repetition in every job; however the field of nutrition is an ever-expanding area of new and exciting information, making it a constant source of wonder. The body is a fascinating terrain of seemingly unending discovery. As we continue to plumb the depths of its mystery, I feel truly blessed to live a life immersed in this fascinating realm. On a more immediate level, there is very little to compare with the ‘high’ that I feel after a productive clinic or an energetic studio session. And although I have been doing this work for a very long time (let’s not mention my age!) it has never once become boring. What people might call a job, I call a lifestyle. It is challenging, exciting and ultimately hugely rewarding, and I don’t think you could ask for more than that. Here’s hoping that my little girl strikes equally as lucky in her life.
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