Typical Day
Brian Cano wakens naturally at almost precisely 5:00AM, and immediately thinks to himself, "Today, I will do as little harm as possible. Today, I will benefit others as much as possible." He smiles and breathes deeply. It's time for coffee.
Brian brews a pot and then drinks a mug, choosing not to focus on anything but the act of drinking coffee until finishing. The mug is emptied in just a few minutes, and he moves to his living room for his morning meditation. It's very important to Brian that he has caffeine first; it wouldn't do to fall asleep during meditation.
He sits in silence as his six-year-old daughter, Kayla, appears from her bedroom. She knows her father's routine by now and chooses to quietly color on the couch until he's finished. When he does, he helps her get ready for school, waits with her at the bus stop, and then departs for work. He arrives at his office at 8:45AM.
"Dr. Cano," one of the receptionists calls to him as he enters. "You have Judith Presner earlier today. 9:15AM."
"That's right," he replies. "Thanks for reminding me. I'd almost forgotten!"
She smiles and nods, and he moves back into the room where he'll meet the day's patients. Everything is already cleaned and prepped from last night—all he needs to do is lift the large plastic sheets from his table and equipment and the room is ready to serve. He lights a single stick of incense and turns on the small set of speakers built into the back of his table. A subtle ambient track plays quietly throughout the room.
Judith arrives a few minutes early looking frazzled. Brian guesses that she has another appointment this morning and is worried she shouldn't have tried to squeeze in this session. It would explain why one of his most religiously punctual patients had requested an earlier slot today.
"Please, to the table," he says. Judith nods without saying hello and then lies on the table on her stomach.
"Today's session will be shorter than most," Brian says coolly. "We will address fewer points to greater effect. I hope this is alright with you."
Brian can almost see the tension slip from her body as he says it. He was right.
"Oh," Judith says. "Yes, that would be fine. Thank you."
Of course, as a medical professional, Brian is still obligated to perform the entire session, but he knows that the treatment won't be as effective if his patient is stressed or otherwise uncomfortable. He'll simply need to work faster to make up the difference.
"Now I'd like you to relax your muscles, Judith. As we've practiced, begin with your feet, and loosen each part of your body one at a time up to your neck. That's it. Good, good. I'm going to begin with the legs."
Brian sterilizes her legs and begins to deftly place needles at various acupuncture points between her knee and foot. She doesn't flinch as each enters her skin.
"Keep breathing. Good, good."
Soon, ten needles are in place, and he moves to her lower back.
"I'm going to need to lift your shirt slightly in order to begin treatment on your back. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, of course," she answers.
He lifts the tail of her loose-fitting shirt and continues the procedure on this section of her body. Five more needles go in without issue.
"Please wait now," he tells her. "And be still."
He quietly exits, leaving her alone in the room for fifteen minutes before returning. During the wait, Brian checks the day's appointments and signs off on a few forms the receptionist was waiting for.
"How are you feeling?" he asks as he returns, quickly removing the needles from her body.
"Better," she says. "Every day."
"Excellent. Wonderful to hear," he says as the last needle is removed. He packages the used needles in a special casing and disposes of them in a special bin.
"Now, I'm very sorry, but I've another appointment butting just against yours. I would love to speak with you further today, but—"
"I understand," Judith says happily, standing up from the table.
"Cupping on Thursday, right?" he asks.
"I'll be here," she says.
"Wonderful. We can catch up in more detail then." He smiles and kindly shows her out to reception.
He has nine more appointments that day, most of them the same. One of them, however, is new not only to the office, but to traditional Chinese medicine. This appointment takes approximately an hour longer than a usual appointment does, as Brian addresses the patient's concerns, evaluates his symptoms, takes the pulse of his arms, and thoroughly examines his tongue.
Brian leaves at 4:00PM and picks Kayla up from soccer practice. They eat dinner together, and he saves his evening meditation until after Kayla's mother picks her up at 7:00PM.
The night's meditation is longer, and this time, Brian's not quiet. Alone in the house, he begins to sing