massage strokes Archives - The Swirl World

Some of you may not know it, but I’m a licensed massage therapist.

(Pauses to listen to the sound of my personal stock going up; pats self on back).

I’m a licensed massage therapist and I have the great fortune to teach continuing education classes at the University of Louisiana. My class is called “Couples Massage for Fun and Relaxation.”

This past Thursday I had the pleasure of teaching my class. I had been informed a week prior by the class administrators that, per my approval, my class was going to have an odd number.

Hold up . . . an odd number of attendees???

That meant someone who signed up for the class was Flying Solo.

Flying Solo? In a Couples Massage class??? Who was this brave soul???

Needless to say, I was intrigued. I gave my approval, and informed the class administrator that the Soloist just needed to agree to be my partner.

Fast forward to class night and, lo and behold, I didn’t just have one Soloist, I had two.

And both of them were men.

(Go ahead and faint from the shock. I’ll wait).

Yes, indeed. These two guys had signed up for the class, sans a female (or male) partner. They were taking a Couples Massage, and they were flying solo.

Turns out Jack and Robert* had decided that even though they weren’t currently attached, they wanted to be prepared for when they did have a significant other.

So, along with the six other couples in the class, Jack (the younger, very cute White dude) and Robert (the older, very handsome White dude) learned the five basic massage strokes and had a blast. They also enjoyed the pleasure of serving as the class guinea pigs – and treated to two hours of constant back, shoulder, neck, scalp, and face massages by Yours Truly.

The moral of the story?

The best way to fly solo is to go in, be fearless, and exceed your objectives!

Here’s how Jack and Robert accomplished it:

They refused to allow the “Couples” designation stop them from signing up
They refused to give in to the fear of the unknown
They refused to be embarrassed by arriving solo
They focused on what they had (a desire to enhance their skills) instead of on what they didn’t have (a girlfriend)
They maintained a healthy, optimistic perspective on their future relationships
They took proactive steps to be prepared
They were determined to have fun

Yes, I know that single women have been encouraged to venture out Solo. We’re encouraged to dine out alone, go to the movies alone, travel, etc. We’re told, Live your best life now! Don’t wait for a partner!

I cosign and practice all of that, and thankfully I enjoy my own company. What’s refreshing to me is the fact that Jack and Robert held such an optimistic view of their dating lives, and demonstrated fearlessness when it came to preparing.

And you know what? The other members of the class didn’t make fun of Jack and Rob – they applauded them. The husbands gave them knowing looks and shout outs of approval, and the ladies made sure to give them compliments and encouragement.

Jack (the younger guy) paid close attention to everything I said, to make sure he was doing everything correctly. Rob (the older guy) asked lots of questions and wanted to know all the variations of each of the strokes.

(Cough, cough. Anybody catch what I just said? Moving right along . . . . )

I’ve been talking about taking a Zydeco dancing class. I’m so inspired by Jack and Rob, I’ve decided to just do what they did: Sign up, partner or not.

I even mentioned my intentions in class, and guess what? Jack was already signed up – again, Flying Solo! He immediately offered to be my partner (tee hee hee!) and used his iPhone to look up the class on the spot.

Alas, Jack’s class was already full (darn it!).

But guess who asked for my number – and guess who’s signed up for the next one?

Join in the Fray: How well do you Fly Solo?