I spent most of Sunday deep cleaning the clinic to get ready to open back up in February. It felt really good to do and I enjoyed being there. As I mopped the floors and cleaned under the chairs, I couldn’t help but think of all the people who have populated Long Beach Community Acupuncture (LBCA) over the years. I think of those who conceived after a long-time trying, those who have kept their body pain in check with frequent visits, and so many others who have relied on acupuncture to quiet the noise of anxiety that soundtracks their days.
I also think of the many people I haven’t seen for a full year given the risks of the pandemic to their health. February will mark this strange anniversary--when we began to realize the severity of COVID-19 in the U.S. and recorded the first death from it. Here we are 12 months later and an unfathomable number of Americans have died from this novel virus—almost half a million as I write--with brown and black communities suffering far more than other groups. The toll has been devastating and with the viral mutations, the threat remains as real as ever, and some people are now living with long-term symptoms from having had the virus.
My family would think it’s funny—me cleaning—as I never truly appreciated the act of until I opened LBCA. But I have learned that there is something healing, something centering about consciously making a place nice for others, as well as for yourself. There’s surface sanitation, wiping down the visible dirt that comes with daily use and accumulates in high-traffic areas. There’s also process of deep cleaning, when you move chairs to see what’s accumulated while you were too busy; when you dismantle paper stacks whose contents no longer matter; and when you enjoy the sweet success of corralling dust ponies that have eluded you for weeks. Deep cleaning can feel meditative. It allows you to take stock of what’s around and what needs to go. The process can stir up memories and situate you at the juncture of looking back and looking forward.
I am thinking of 2021 as an opportunity for a deep clean that is also mental and spiritual. What has accumulated over the past year (or years) that needs to be thrown out? What thoughts or behaviors belong in the dust bin? How can you elevate your personal environment to make a nice place for others and for yourself?