Last week I swung by my neighborhood nail salon to get a pedicure. Usually I call beforehand to request my favorite nail technician but this time was spontaneous and she wasn’t available. Another gal worked with me and the minute she touched the skin on my foot I knew it was a disaster. I felt like I was being clawed. I swear the calous remover was actually a medieval torture device as she ferociously scrubbed away at my foot, even on the super sensitive arch! I winced. She didn’t get the hint. I jumped. She continued. I could feel my blood pressure rising, and muscles tightening. This was supposed to be relaxing, right? Finally I snapped (terrible, I know) and asked her loudly to slow down. This slowed her down for 2 seconds.

As I took a deep breath it hit me. I was in direct physical contact with a woman who was stressed. Very stressed. Maybe she was stressed about money and needed to work faster. Maybe she just never had any training. Maybe she was just having a bad day. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. It was clear to me in this instant that I was reacting to the feeling of stress. I felt her stress and in return felt stressed. In order to get what I wanted, both of our energies now had to change.

So I eased up a bit, gently and sincerely asked her again to slow down and then finally, her own muscles relaxed, she took a deep breath, and her touch eased. I smiled. I closed my eyes, and thanked her.

Have you seen the movie, What the Bleep do we Know? In the movie they refer to how energy can affect the crystals in water. Masuro Emoto, wrote, The Hidden Messages in Water, a book that documents his research on water and how different intentions or energies affect the actual crystals and properties of the water. According to Life-Enthusiast.com

[H]uman vibrational energy, thoughts, words, ideas and music, affect the molecular structure of water, the very same water that comprises over seventy percent of a mature human body and covers the same amount of our planet. Water is the very source of all life on this planet, the quality and integrity are vitally important to all forms of life.

The images below (courtesy of Life-Enthusiast) show water from the Fujiwara dam before and after prayer.

This type of thing tends to really grab my attention. We live in a world where people are suffering and the planet is suffering. I can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. Though I have a temper and a short fuse, I must admit, snapping at people never improves the situation.