Graduation speech

The first thing we read when we walked into Michelle Howard's Kinesthetic Anatomy class was a Socrates quote - "Know thyself." We learned at BCMT about the limitations and possibilities of our bodies, hands and minds. We realized that we are stronger than we thought, capable of more than we thought. We learned to trust our intuition, to trust ourselves and our hands. We learned the importance of self-care, and discovered pain and patterns of tension in our bodies that we can now accept or work with to become stronger and more relaxed. We've become more playful... thinking back to that day of sound and toning in Integrative where we waltzed around the halls playing instruments, and we took our parade into the elevator. I think the sound of bells, whistles & drums helped clear the stale air. We've also become more open and confident in the past 9 months, as many of my friends have noticed.

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dalai Lama answered, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money, then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Thank you Melanie, for teaching us to live in the present. Thanks to everyone who taught us patience and slowing down.

For the parents out there concerned about our finances and theirs, I have to put in a plug about preventative care. We've learned to improve our posture, better our health and reduce our stress. 75-90% of visits to family physicians are for stress-related problems. Not only do massage therapists help ease tension in their clients, they tend to relieve their own anxiety when giving a massage. I've spent the last 4 years unsure of what career I wanted to pursue and hating my jobs in various fields. Back in March, I came home from career night giddy as a girl full of sugar going to Disney World. I realized I found my calling. In that first quarter at BCMT, I looked forward to learning something new every day, and I am confident that this was the best decision I have ever made. So thank you parents, family and friends for your support. Thank you, Wendy, for setting a good foundation with us in Shiatsu. Thanks to all of our excellent teachers for teaching us first how to heal ourselves so that we can help others more effectively. Thank you for helping us find ourselves.