A Thai lady approached me, and asked “do you want a massage?”
* Disclaimer: I wanted to write a deliberately sensational headline just for fun! This story is not about the seedy massages that we read about in the news.
I was at the new airport lounge in Phuket this morning, returning to Singapore after a 5-Day wholistic cleanse / detox program. I was heads-down, writing an email; and did not notice what was happening in the lounge.
One of the staff walked up to me, and asked if I wanted a head-and-neck massage. I suppose — it being Phuket — it was common to have impromptu massage services offered in the lounge itself.
I said that I would love to, but did not have a single Thai Baht, or any other form of currency with me. And she said that it was ok.
While giving me a massage right there at my seat, she explained that she was employed by the airport lounge — to provide this complimentary service; and that she would accept tips as additional compensation. I felt pretty sure — that the lounge would pay her only a basic salary, and that she would rely on tips for income.
And so, knowing that I had no cash on me to give, she still offered it anyway.
And while the massage was a short 10-minute session, the sensation of gratitude I felt, was immense. This was a massage that went beyond fatigued muscles… straight to the heart.
I didn’t fully enjoy the massage — because my mind was scrambling to think if there was anything in my minimally-packed luggage, that I could offer as a gift in compensation. (I still experience some difficulty in learning how to accept gifts from strangers — but I’m getting better at it.)
Fast Forward 20 Minutes…
I thanked her, and shortly after, headed towards the gate for my departure.
While walking — I looked out to buy some Thai snacks for a dear family friend whose home my wife and kids stayed in for the last 5 days.
I was at the detox retreat, and our home was not quite ready — due to an unexpected pipe-leak. These friends, and their children, hosted my wife and kids, and were great company.
Now — walking past rows and rows of delicious-looking Thai snacks, is a profoundly different experience after a 5-day cleanse. I saw the snacks for what they were — sugar-laden junk, that would only serve to nurture an addiction to sugar, while crippling the body’s ability to heal itself.
It was not, what I would consider — a gift.
And so, I looked at the souvenir and gift shops. Now, after years, and an especially intensive last 4 weeks of de-cluttering (of material possessions), I realize that — unless it was truly a need — any random gift or souvenir, would not truly be — a gift.
Just as junk food clutters the gut, and cripples the body, any un-needed, un-wanted, unintentional gift would clutter the home, and add subtle burden to one’s life.
And in that moment… I got present to the most precious gift I can every offer — time.
And in that same way… the most precious gift I can ever receive — is the intentional gift of time for me, and with me.
p/s: The title for this blog post should actually be “The Gift Called ‘Time’”; but I simply cannot resist writing something sensational every once in a while :)
