We stopped at a mall in Mobile to get a bite to eat and guess what? Laura wanted (she said needed) to do a little shopping. Laura is good at shopping. In fact, she has a black belt in shopping. She and Hannah Grace were looking at clothes and Joel and I were doing the "wandering around the mall wishing there was something interesting here" thing. There were a couple of interesting things but we had already eaten (think cookie factory). I passed this small place in the mall and the sign over the door said "Relaxation." I'm for that. It was a massage place. There was a little advertising paper (laminated) and one thing advertised was a reflexology foot rub. I had a professional reflexology foot rub for my "first."
I've heard that reflexology is a cool thing. The information that I've read in the past (as best I remembered) said that you can affect different areas of your body by touching different places in your foot (feet). So, this was fairly interesting to me. I've wanted to do something like this for a while and the year of "firsts" is a great time to do it.
As the guy got ready to start rubbing on my feet, I tried to make a little conversation with him. I wanted to ask about reflexology and what this foot rub was supposed to accomplish. Alas, my foot rubber was not proficient in English. I actually never heard him put a full sentence together. He was pretty good at raising his eyebrows like he did not understand. So, instead of learning about reflexology, I just leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and relaxed. Maybe I had a relaxology (my new word for today) foot rub today.
It did feel good. He used his knuckles a good bit to dig into various areas of my feet. At one point, he pressed pretty hard on a few certain spots. I tried to imagine what part of my body this was supposed to help or relax, but I could not tell. When he pulled on the little piggy that went wee wee wee all the way home I did jump a bit. I'm a bit ticklish there.
Wikipedia writes, "Reflexology is an alternative medicine involving application of pressure to the feet and hands with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion. It is based on a system of zones and reflex areas that reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands, with the premise that such work affects a physical change to the body. A 2009 systematic review of randomised controlled trials concludes: "The best evidence available to date does not demonstrate convincingly that reflexology is an effective treatment for any medical condition."
There is no consensus among reflexologists on how reflexology is supposed to work; a unifying theme is the idea that areas on the foot correspond to areas of the body, and that by manipulating these one can improve health through one's qi.
Reflexology chart
Ready to start
That's the little piggy that went to market
Happy, Happy, Happy
Bible crosswords are fun to travel with
Sleeping beauty
I'm glad I was not trying to cure a medical condition with reflexology. I really wanted to relax and I did. My feet even tingled for a bit afterward. As I thought about this, I was reminded that we should not try to make things do for us what they were never intended to do. Hobbies are for fun and relaxation. Careers are to glorify God, provide us a place to witness for Christ, put our skills to good use, and earn a living. Money is a good tool to accomplish God's purposes here on earth.
When we try to use things in a way that God never intended, we run into trouble. Sports are great for entertainment but a terrible place to get your happiness in life. Careers are good for putting skills to work and witnessing for Christ, but they are a terrible source of identity. Money is a great servant but a terrible master. It's a great lesson to remember that our security, identity, purpose, and our sense of belonging must start with God. If we try to find those things in people, possessions, or popularity, we are asking for trouble. 1 John 5:21 says, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." Good things can become idols when we try to get something from them that we can only get from God. It's a good lesson to remember. Now, I wonder if Laura would be interested in rubbing my feet...
Enjoying the abundant life
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. He can meet all of my needs
2. Family at Thanksgiving
3. Foot rubs
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