What if You Get To

Last week, I was listening to a podcast with Judy Worsley, a Classical Five Element acupuncturist and teacher. She shared something so simple, yet so profound:

"Do what you love and love what you do."

Those words have stayed with me.  Of course, it's wonderful if you know what you love and have the opportunity to do it. Sometimes that's clear, and sometimes it's a lifelong journey of discovery.

But the second half of her statement, love what you do, feels different. It isn't necessarily about changing your circumstances. It's about changing your perspective.

It's the difference between saying,

"I have to do this," and
"I get to do this."

Such a subtle shift in language, yet it can completely change how we experience a moment.
"I have to make dinner."

"I get to nourish myself and the people I love."
"I have to slow down."
"I get to listen to what my body has been asking for."

I've been noticing how often this simple reframe changes the energy I bring to my own day. The task itself doesn't change, but my relationship to it does.

The style of acupuncture I practice creates space not only for physical healing, but for something deeper to unfold. As the body settles and the mind quiets, people often begin to experience themselves differently.

What once felt overwhelming becomes manageable. What was stuck begins to move. The circumstances may be the same, but their relationship to them has changed.

It's one of the things I love most about this medicine.

Healing isn't about fixing what's wrong or making life look different on the outside. Sometimes it's about reconnecting with yourself in a way that allows you to meet your life with greater clarity and ease. From that place, new possibilities naturally begin to emerge.

A practice for this week:

Notice when you hear yourself say, “I have to…” Pause. Take one breath and ask, “Is there an ‘I get to’ here?”

Don’t force it. Just be curious and notice what shifts.

I’d love to hear what happens next.