Touch vs Feel

I recently spent some time in Mexico with an old friend, Galen Wathen, a chiropractor turned bodyworker. During our conversations, he told me about a realization he had one night: he should quit “touching” his clients and “feel” them instead. The next day, Galen gave it a try. If his client tightened up or pulled away when he worked on an area, he left it alone for a while, and if they relaxed or respond positively, he would spend more time on it. He drew an analogy to a musician who just plays his instrument vs. one who listens to the other players. Maybe we could add to that: the architect who bulldozes everything flat vs. one who designs within the scope and scale of the landscape or neighborhood, and the salesman trying to close the deal, instead of working to solve a customer’s problems. And the distracted barber … which is exactly how I ended up with my bad haircut.