Whispering of Willows (42)

By Dr. Anna Zhao (https://whisperingwillowclinic.com)

Emerson says: “All my hurts my garden spade can heal.”

My father had a chance to visit our clinic garden before he passed away. He once said, "You should plant some mulberry trees or goji berries here; if I have time, I come to give you a hand."

Now the mulberry trees and goji berries are lush and green, but where is my father?

June 16, Sunday, Father's Day. This is the second Father's Day that I spent without my father. From time to time, I turn my head to glance at the garden, wishing he would be standing in the corner, beaming.

Though we do little in terms of advertisement, our clinic has been developing steadily. In our eyes, there can be no clinic in the world that is more lovely and dear than ours. Our treatment rooms are tiny, making it even difficult to turn around in them. But these small inconveniences and limitations are completely negligible in front of our fragrant and lovely garden, surrounded by Angels and Buddhas.

Many fruit trees and herbal medicines have been planted. A few days ago, to our great joy, we spotted red mulberries appearing on one of the branches. I could not resist so I nipped a purple-red one and threw it into my mouth. Oh, Lord, is there any fruit in the world that is sweeter and tastier than this?

The lavender planted by Dr. Daniel is showing its glory under the blue sky. Our garden guru is Dr. Ali, of course. Some of the roses that he helped us plant have also bloomed. The first one I picked I put in front of my dad’s portrait. A few days ago, a patient's father passed away, so we picked a few roses and asked her husband to bring them to her. Having a patient going through a difficult time, prompted our selecting a golden rose in the yard for her. No vases, we used disposable paper cups instead.

We have no time to manage the garden during the daytime when we are at work. Sometimes, Dr. Daniel toils under moonlight after work. There were times I dashed into the garden in heavy rain, picking a few fresh herbs to boil for patients. The goji berries are flourishing, and we trim the twigs and give them to friends to make soup. So far, our small garden has brought wonderful surprises to many people. Who says the garden is not our healing partner, working with us intimately, shoulder to shoulder?

The weather is changeable these days, and it still feels cool in mid June. Today, a man from Ethiopia came to our clinic for the first time. Dr. Daniel gave him a massage, and all I did for him was placing a heated herbal bag by his feet. Half way through the treatment, I came over and asked how he was doing, all he said was: “So good I feel like crying.”

On such a cold and rainy day, this man took transit all the way from downtown to come to our clinic. It must have taken him maybe three hours for the round trip? Before leaving, he insisted on giving us an extra 20 dollars. We declined, and put it back in his pocket. With a warm smile he folded his hands and said, "From now on, we are a family." As we watched him leave, I realized tears were running on my face.

Sometimes we take children to have a tour in the garden. You may ask: “What can Traditional Chinese Medicine do to help children?”

We can do much: guasha, cupping, massage, herbal medicine, qigong and yoga, to help improve their immunity and deal with colds, allergies, asthma, anxiety... In the garden, I show them the trees laden with apples, pears or plums, and let them touch the freshly opened honeysuckle covered with dew.

Children who have tried cupping seem to like it very much.

A three-year-old boy watched me cupping without blinking, and then asked with great curiosity, "How come the cups are not melting by the fire?"

A six-year-old sister and a nine-year-old brother came for cupping for the first time. When I asked them who would go first, the sister rushed to raise her hand. Halfway through the treatment, she giggled, lying on her stomach, and comforted her brother who seemed a little nervous, "No big deal! It's just a little fire!"

When I treated a young mother, her four-year-old daughter often stands by watching intensively my every move. One day after the treatment, she asked: "Mommy, do you feel any better?"

The mother replied: "Of course, honey, Dr. Anna is a great healer!"

"What about me?" The little blond girl tilted her head at her, showing her sparkling blue eyes.

The mother bent down and gave her a kiss, smiling: "Of course you are too, honey. You are also a great healer yourself!"

She is right, we are all great healers ourselves, especially when we heal with love.  If we believe so, we are – both healers and love.

Some of our patients are teenagers.

A 17-year-old patient, with a gift for music, told me that he dislikes to associate with people and begging a living in this world seems meaningless and humiliating. He asked me how to lead a happy and uncompromising life, or if there even is such a thing. I took him for a walk in the garden, and then sent him this poem I wrote:

Begging

Hardly dawn, I was on my way begging, barefoot;

Dangling on my neck, a bamboo alms-bowl.

Hamlets and cities fleeting by,

each door shut abruptly upon my arrival.

What I begged for was a little love and joy

but none had a spoonful to spare.

A goblin beckoned me over,

queuing me with birds, bees, grass, forest and wild beasts.

handing us the gifts she long prepared

to offer to those dismal shadows from afar.

Night fell

I headed home,

whistling along the chrysanthemum scented trail,

alms-bowl filled,

but not from begging.