Yes, I met a handsome alien!

First, let me thank Bev for giving me a new title for this post!! (It was originally, "No, I don't have hickies on my neck!") She was joking with me about them, so I thought I'd share the joke.

So, yeah, I have hickies on my neck - both sides in fact. And, it was a handsome alien. Really. Truthfully.

Not.

Really, though, I had an acupuncture appointment today and as part of the treatment, Brodie did what is referred to as "cupping" (see http://www.itmonline.org/arts/cupping.htm). She applied the technique to my neck, on both sides, to try to release heat. I told her that for the past few days, I've felt more dehydrated than usual and have been drinking a lot of water. My lips also feel really dry. The treatment was supposed to release that heat and also some of the powerful emotions - mostly sadness and disappointment - that I felt last week. The emotions were still hanging on. With traditional Chinese medicine, the goal isn't necessarily to rid yourself of the emotions, but rather to make sure you allow yourself to feel them and then let them pass through you, instead of burying them within yourself where they could fester. When you hold on to them, your body diverts some of your own energy to either containing them or dealing with them, so when you release it, your body is better able to spend its energy, or more of its energy, on other things, like in my case, say, fighting and ridding my body of cancer.

So, yep, I have these red circular hicky marks on the sides of my neck. Wonderful, eh? And, no, I'm not seeing anyone right now! Even if I was, I don't do that hicky thing.

And, I do feel better. I feel calm and on an even keel and in a fairly good mood, especially since it's beautiful and sunny (70 degrees or so) and most of my lilacs have bloomed and I can see some iris buds out there, too. Dad's been working on my yard and it's looking pretty good. Thanks, Dad!