Saturday, January 10, 2015

Give and Take: Tong-Len Living

At the end of 2014 I got the news that Steve (one of my classmates) had passed away from lung cancer. I was on a video shoot working for a client. I lamented about all the conversations we had about quitting smoking and his inability to stop. The rest of the day proceeded as expected, I finished the job, and moved on.

Last week I got an email from the client. He said that our conversation about Steve's premature death caused him to quit smoking. I had completely forgotten about it. I wasn't trying to get the client to give up nicotine, but I was just speaking aloud about regrets. He mentioned that in addition to quitting cigarettes, he's gone off dairy, wheat, and sugar. I got curious about his transformation. He wasn't trying to get me to change my diet, just speaking about his experience.

My client wasn't trying to get me to change my diet. He was just speaking his truth. It's been a week of cravings, watching these urges pass and come back, and noticing without running to the substance. I feel better. It's funny how we both helped each other out, by just speaking from our truth. 

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