Memoirs of a Masseur – December 2021

I tell my nieces and nephews to not be part of the herd. I suggest that they live their lives in a conscious manner recognizing what their peers are doing then choosing to do the opposite. I believe that creating an exceptional and rewarding life often means finding unique ways to navigate time and decisions to obtain one’s dream. I find it curious that parents commonly slip from telling their kids to live their dreams yet when they become young adults the advice is to seek a practical way of living. Get a job, pay the bills, buy a house, get married and have kids, we have all heard it before…it’s an expired way of thinking. I recently read a Gallup report showing that 70% of Americans polled either hate their job or are “disengaged” from their work, and even perks don’t work if they’re unhappy with management. To wake up unmotivated is a clear sign that something is missing. If my college-aged nieces and nephews do what everyone around them do they most likely will not become exceptional. Included in this is their physical, mental, spiritual, and financial levels of happiness. It will undoubtedly be much easier to not take chances and to quell big dreams with rationality and practicality. I think a line from one of my favorite artists Bob Marley says it perfectly. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery—none but ourselves can free our minds.”

A unique mindset, one titillated by the opportunities of the days to come takes creativity and much personal work. One has to create their own mold and must do things differently if they want to over-achieve for the sake of personal challenge and happiness. I am a huge fan of reading autobiographies because they often hold a person’s secrets and the turning points of their lives. Never do those decisions, influences, or struggles come easily. The hardship is what creates greatness. Once an individual embraces the challenge of the day and sees it as always temporary, then they are on the path to true liberation. I have watched many creative and energetic young souls slowly get entangled into the choking vines of social expectations and live a lifestyle of a time gone by. I hate to sound like a commercial but daring to set a singular path to attaining an ethereal existence is possible if one believes in it and structures their lives based on greatness. To be compelled into motivation is a godlike state of being. To be in the moment doing the work needed to achieve whatever goal is in mind is truly being alive. Eternal happiness cannot be shaken by any outside force for those that have struggled and have excelled past the herd…into a space of their own.

The New Year is upon us and personal reflection and goal making is often triggered during the long days of winter and holiday celebrations. The key is to just get started and be consistent. Begin with something that is not your usual habit and embrace the freedom of something novice and desired. I recently spent 16 days without a cell phone, television, any outside distractions, even a house. I was in a tent along one of the grandest of rivers in North America. What I learned was that by having much less, my mind and aura had much more. It is essential in our over-stimulated day and age to neutralize the poisons of social media. The herds of young people gorging themselves on cell phones whenever possible is leading to social consequences beyond what anyone can imagine. To not be able to experience anything new without a “selfie” documenting it is a sin against ourselves and the sanctity of the precious present. Cultivating opposite practices can give personal insights to why we do what we do. Perhaps many of our daily activities are just habits from a time long gone that do not serve us anymore. As I will continue to tell my nieces and nephews find unique pleasures in your day that empower and energize. That rhythm will vibrate into every other aspect of your life. The same old same old doesn’t have to be, you need to be the teacher and the student as an adult looking to be freely exceptional.

Todd Pequeen is originally from Buffalo, NY but has been in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica for over 21 years. He is a graduate of the New York Institute of Massage and is an independent full-time masseur with a tree top studio which is the center of his universe. Call or WhattsApp him at 8830-7727 or e-mail him at [email protected] for an appointment. His free time is spent surfing, reading, and enjoying the professional photography of sarahyunker.com.