Table Talk: Touche

     Last December, just before the holidays, I was asked to bring my massage chair to the hospital recovery room and spend the day giving massages to the operating room support staff. The ten-minute-long massages were a “thank you” to the staff members from their coordinator and one of the doctors. During their breaks, people lined up to get massage.

     The staff members were appreciative of the opportunity for massage and commented on how much they liked my work. Their necks and shoulders relaxed, their headaches receded, or their hands felt relieved. Several mused what it would be like to have this at work everyday. One tech seemed very enthusiastic after receiving her massage. As I helped her get up from the chair, she declared, “Everyone should be required to receive at least one massage a week.” She claimed it would change human society.

     I have tried to imagine what it would take to accomplish such a change. Given the competitive nature of social groupings, it would seem easier to organize fencing matches rather than massage. But perhaps the United Nations organization might provide external rewards to motivate participation. Massage competitions could be organized with prizes going to the nations that accomplished the most change through massage. Well, whatever. There is power in touch, a power to transform. I have experienced it. Perhaps it could change whole groups or even the world.

     I would be pleased to say, “Touché,” to any other group, even my enemies, conceding to their victory in the world massage competition as long as I was getting my own weekly massage. Who knows?

     Perhaps we can relate such possible change in human society to the creation story in which the creator scooped up mud, formed humans, and breathed into them the breath of life. I wonder if we could do something similar to one another through massage, actually touch one another in ways to create relaxation, value, and joy. We could reap benefits of increased health. Perhaps, then, we could truly become the kind of humans and human society the creative impulse of divine love imagines.

Warrior, after Kansas petroglyph, by Phillip Hoyle

Using images of dueling or warfare to represent values of  spiritual import always seems awkward to me, even uncomfortable. I'm more of the "beat the swords into plowshares" kind of guy. Still I put this painting here to represent how willingly I would say touche to even a warrior who would give me my weekly massages.