I always like hearing the 'ah-ha' stories of people who have decided to study acupuncture.
For the sake of sounding too 'namaste', it truly humbles me and I feel grateful I am making my steps to studying a type of medicine which emphasizes the importance humanizing the individual human (Oh, boy!)
So here is my story...
Disillusioned, I graduated with a film degree and worked in the most elite NYC clubs as a cocktail hostess (Remember those days when people would cough up $300 just to buy a bottle of $30 liquor just so they can sit behind a velvet rope and feel important? Hi, that was me serving you), bartender and manager.
In 2007, I had the brilliant idea of getting my NY real estate license. I worked day and night, slept only a couple of hours and was succumbed to realize, money (good money) didn't mean as much as I thought it would.
For about a month, every time I went to sleep, I would feel tingling, pins and needles sensations in my feet. It progressively got worse until one day I woke up and couldn't feel anything below my waist.
I didn't have insurance and I thought I was paralyzed.
As a New Yorker, my 'ah-ha' moment felt more like an 'OH-SHIT' moment.
I ended up going back to my parents' home and they suggested I go see an acupuncturist. Up until then, I had seen a few acupuncture sessions with my family members but had never received one. Oh yeah, I was also terrified of needles.
3X a week, for a month, I went for hour long acupuncture sessions and drank my herbal supplement 3X a day. My "unlicensed" acupuncturist was an old, Korean man who studied the old-school way (apprenticeship). After the first session, I still couldn't walk but I felt an unforgettable feeling that can only be described as - the clutter and heaviness, that I didn't realize was in my head and heart, had suddenly been swept away. All that was left was an 'it's-gonna-be-alright' sense of... Peace.
To this day, I can still remember the feeling of quiet clarity.
Within a week and a half, I could slowly walk and by the end of the month, I was struttin' around like Naomi Campbell (The good years -- Not the crazy, angry years).
It took me another three years to come to the conclusion I wanted to become an acupuncturist. During those years, I quit my job, sold everything, bought my first backpack, traveled for two years and learned a few important life lessons.
I came back and toyed with the idea of becoming a novelist, a journalist, a nutritionist (If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a bit schizo when it comes to my career choice, hence, this blog, in order to make sure this $100K investment is worth it!) before realizing, accepting and acknowledging my 'oh-shit' moment began when I lost the simple ability to walk; and was ignited by traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
I came back and toyed with the idea of becoming a novelist, a journalist, a nutritionist (If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a bit schizo when it comes to my career choice, hence, this blog, in order to make sure this $100K investment is worth it!) before realizing, accepting and acknowledging my 'oh-shit' moment began when I lost the simple ability to walk; and was ignited by traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
