CAVE People
My friend George used an interesting acronym the other day: CAVE people. When heard it I envisioned Neanderthals squatting around a fire, grunting at each other. The letters represent: Citizens Against Virtually Everything. I was close.
George was describing some people in a Chicago neighborhood who were resistant to his wanting to alter the roofline of a building he is rehabbing. Every design improvement, he maintained, was vociferously challenged by the neighborhood CAVE status quo. His neighbors illustrate that most people are not willing to acknowledge or even be open to learning anything that challenges what they already know.
We are all cavers to some extent. I love being able to move through my morning routine which includes an hour of cuddling, I mean, meditation, with the softly snoozing Camille resting against my side. There are some things that I do not want to change. Hot peppers. I refuse to purposely scald my tongue and the roof of my mouth. After one too many experiences with the insidious little brown peppers that hide in Thai noodles; nope. I’m not changing my eating habits, or my palate, to include these wrinkled little seeds of molten treachery.
Some people/communities/professions are emotionally invested in staying within their knowledge set. Some people/communities/professions are economically vested in staying within what they know; and what they can control.
We’re The Lead Dog So Our View of Change Changes
Over the twenty years that we’ve been teaching PetMassage™, we’ve witnessed the ebb and flow of acceptance for PetMassage™ for dogs as a therapeutic modality. We’ve felt stubborn resistance. We’ve felt welcoming acceptance. We’ve watched state level legislative activity restrict and when resisted, loosen. Most of all, we’ve sensed Change.
Change in our dog massage industry is invariably optimistic and positive. It is based on inspiration, dreams, and imagination. It’s creatively intuitive. It is evolutionary. It is benevolently revolutionary. We are reflective of the greater shift in our collective consciousness. Change holds within it the opportunity for personal and professional growth.
The change that we can make with PetMassage™ is change within the lives of dogs. That’s the function of PetMassage™: to enhance – change – dogs’ quality of life. Change has ripple effects. Happy healthy dogs shift the lives of their owners. Happy owners shift the energy of their communities.
Spare Change
I think of my dog clients. After one or two sessions, they are eager to get their treatments. It is not unusual for dogs to drag their owners through our reception area toward the massage table. Then, they (the dogs) either jump on the table, or sit expectantly looking up at me with their big smiling eyes. They are ready and willing to be picked up, placed on the table, and participate in their PetMassage™. After their PetMassage™, they do not want to leave. Happy memories are made here.
How often do you think dogs display that kind of enthusiasm toward an exam table in a vet’s office? Veterinarians who integrate canine PetMassage™ as a therapeutic modality discover novel ways to help their clients. PetMassage™ is a way to increase client satisfaction as well as wellness. As a pleasant side note, revenue is increased, as well.
Conference Sponsor
PetMassage™ is excited to be one to the sponsors for the upcoming 2017 IAAMB/ACWT Conference that will be held in Louisville, KY, Friday-Saturday, May 19-20. I am president of the IAAMB/ACWT, so I get to be the MC.
The reason for holding the IAAMB/ACWT conference is to support personal and professional growth through lectures and networking. This is old fashioned networking: like intentioned people meeting each other, face to face, making real friends, and initiating real relationships. Just imagine: Twitter friends speaking in full sentences – without photos; Facebook friends listening to each other; having meaningful conversations over dinner.
This is a conference for professionals and people curious about getting into the industry. You are reading this newsletter, so you are obviously a stakeholder in the health and wellness of dogs. I invite you to attend. It will bring together beginner practitioners and those with decades of experience. Our invited speakers include experts on natural essences, canine Aquatic massage, crystal work, rainbow bridge preparation, practitioner gait and body mechanics, the power of touch for animals, veterinary tui na, national accreditation and licensing, and equine Jin Shin Jyutsu.
One conference goal is to find ways to educate the CAVE people so they can become comfortable with the inevitable change. This is the kind of event that shapes the future. It is a coming together of members and stakeholders; inspiring the universal flow of understanding, acceptance, and valuing the many facets of animal massage and bodywork.