The horses are gathered around billowy piles of hay in our round pen like employees around a coffee station. Nobody really has anything to say, but it sure beats doing work.
Our house is cold today. Feels like the breeze outside is leaking through the walls. If I had a laptop, I'd be sitting in front of the wood burning fireplace downstairs, happily snorkling a hot cup of anything. Instead, my feet wear wool liners and thick bottomed slippers, my body trying to shake the chill with a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt. My nose does not appreciate having to hang out naked so it drips like a complaining faucet while my fingers fumble numbly over the computer keyboard in my little bedroom nook.
I recently finished my last class on Healing Touch for Animals. I'm now a bonafide practitioner, with another year to get certified. Of course, the word, practitioner, has the root, "practice" in it. That's a problem. To get certified, I need 50 case studies of animal clients. Thinking along clever lines, I figured the local humane society would be a convenient source of lots of creatures. Though I was able to work on many cats and dogs, the employee turnover was so great that I never got the feedback results I needed.
So now I'm cold calling barns and vets. I HATE cold calling. I know, who loves cold calling? Still, I didn't imagine my business starting out this way. The scenario playing in my head was clients banging down my door once they heard I was an animal Healing Touch practitioner. Fancy that. I agonized over, and eventually wrote myself, a cheat sheet about myself, Healing Touch, and what my intent was at said animal place.
My first vet call was horrific:
(Ring, ring). "Hi, may I speak with Dr. Lowe? Dr. Lowe? (my face now flushing). My name is Emily Vondriska. I'm a Healing Touch practitioner for animals and I'm currently working toward getting my certification. To do this, I need to do 50 case studies on animals. I'm willing to offer my services to your office for free in order to accomplish this goal." "Uh huh." (I clear my throat here): "Um, do you know what Healing Touch is? No? It's a holistic energy-medicine technique that promotes well-being and self healing. It helps reduce stress and anxiety. It develops confidence for training and competition and aids in the recovery of injury, trauma, and illness. Healing Touch also supports transition during euthanasia."
There was a small silence through the phone line before I was privy to Dr. Lowe's response. "Uh, no, we don't believe in that kind of stuff at this clinic. If you want to practice that, you can go down the road to that other vet that does all that alternative stuff." "Okay, um, thanks for your time".
Good thing my cold call couldn't see my initial reaction. My skin was red and hot and my heart was thudding like a lab dog's tail wagging against a hard surface. I knew exactly what vet he was referring to. He was talking about the vet I use. If my own vet hadn't already had a Healing Touch person working with him, I'd be knocking on HIS door instead of cold sweating cold calls like this.
My next call fared only slightly better. I was able to talk a local horse boarding barn into having me out. The barn manager, Nancy, seemed bored and skeptical over the phone. "When a horse is hurtin', I call out the vet or an acupuncturist. I'm not into that massage stuff." I reply, "Well, that's okay because I don't currently do massage. Healing Touch is a shift and transfer of energy through touch." "Yah, well, you can work on one of the horses here." "That'a wonderful! What's his issue?", I ask. "He foundered about a year ago and I don't want him to do it again. "Oh". (I'm thinking, "What does she want, a miracle? That's like breaking your ankle a year ago and going to a doctor to prevent another one from happening!) My head quells the urge to tell her this so instead I tell Nancy that Healing Touch doesn't prevent founder and if he's not displaying any symptoms or currently foundering, I don't think I can do much for that issue. I add, "Why don't I come out and just do a well check on him?'' The barn manager hesitates before ending the conversation with, "Whatever." Quickly, I set up an appointment time with her before Nancy clicks off.
For the next couple of days, the little gerbil wheel in my head was on overdrive, trying to keep up with my internal voices. "What if I work on him and nothing happens? Of course nothing will happen because nothing's wrong with him! What if I look crazy out there, swinging my pendulum and rubbing oils into my hands? Uh, DUH, you WILL look like a witch doing voodoo work! Can't be helped...Can't be helped... I've got to do the best I can". I gathered up my tools, my essential oils, and wrapped up in cold weather gear to make the trek to the farm.
Following the sounds of voices, I found myself standing in a heated barn, watching the barn manager tack up a horse for a horse-boarding client. Nancy waved me over and pointed to a stall hallway. "He's in there. I already cross tied him in the aisle. He won't be a problem. He's a good boy." Nancy continued her lesson with her client and I was left to myself with the liver chestnut Arabian named, "Freedom". Occasionally, boarders drifted past on their way to check on their horses.
I was thankful it was warm in the barn. Freedom immediately relaxed as my hands moved about his body. His eyes became half closed and his head and neck dropped until his chin was to his chest. He was licking and chewing too, all good signs that he was feeling comfortable and at ease. I adjusted a couple of Freedom's chakras and did some vibrational therapy on the feet that had foundered earlier. When I was finished, I found Nancy to sign some forms and told her I'd call for a follow up discussion. "Yah, whatever" trailed in my ears as I stepped out into the chilly air.
It was no surprise for me to learn that Freedom was just the same after the treatment as he was before. Ah well. The good news was that in my follow up call, Nancy did not seem opposed to me checking in or coming back if there were horses that needed care.
So, for now, I'm still broke. I've got no clients. Just this post to bookmark my journey.
Sure is a cold world today.
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