A big reason I love being a chiropractor is because of the life lessons I learn from my practice members. And it gets no better than when I get to meet an everyday hero, someone who elevates the ordinary life by extraordinary action.
I knew that Marg and Frank, both in their 70s, were special the moment I met them. Marg came in to have her spine and nervous system assessed for subluxations. Her systems were slowing down and her strength decreasing as the dis-ease of Parkinson’s became disease and began to overcome her body’s resources. After a series of adjustments, her power was on and her strength improving.
I was struck by how closely they interacted and moved together. As they entered and left the adjustment area, they were synchronized. Marg’s awkward gait was improved and she moved more confidently, with Frank lovingly as the guide and Marg in absolute trust. As Frank and I helped Marg move on the table, I chuckled at the inadequate help I give her from my professional training compared to the loving competency only the heart can provide as Frank effortlessly assisted her.
They remind me of the story of a prominent scientist who quit his job to take care of his wife through the end stages of Alzheimer’s. When asked why he would end his career in his prime to take care of a woman who doesn’t even know who he is, he replied, “She may not know who I am but I know who she is. “
Every day I get to do what I love. And every day I meet the quiet heroes. Marg and Frank will never find a cure for cancer, win a Nobel Peace prize or rescue anyone from a burning building. But the courteousness they express to each other and the courage and dignity in the relationship that they share sets a precedent that has a ripple effect on all of us and on all of life. It makes them everyday heroes.