Aye, that's the rub

Well, Karen and I officially have completed our six-month massage class, but we still have about 15 hours of practice (each) to finish before we get certified. Still, just being done with all the tests (and boy, were there a lot of them) has helped alleviate the stress of getting it all done.

I'm going to try to write a newspaper column about my experience with the massage class. But I'm not quite sure what I'm going to say. The question everyone asks is, "Why'd you get into that?" And I'm still not really sure. It's not like we're ever going to do this for a living, although it might be nice money if one of us ends up jobless.

I asked my instructor once why he doesn't charge anyone for treatment. He said it was partly because he didn't need to (he has a full-time job doing some kind of tech thing), partly because it would involve business logistics, and partly because it would take the fun out of massage. It would become a job, and it's hard not to dislike your job a lot of the time.

It's ironic that we seem to enjoy things least when we're paid to do them. But it makes sense, if you think about the mental formula it creates. You're giving your creative energy, and in return you're getting money. Most times, when you give creative energy outside the workplace, what you get in return is enjoyment. It's hard to imagine getting both, but I suppose that's what we all shoot for.

What does this have to do with me and massage? I'm not quite sure, especially since no one's exactly jumping to pay me. But I think it gets at the root of the idea of why I learned it. It has been a tremendous mental and physical challenge to get here, and I like the fact that it's a road that goes on as long as you're willing to take it.

Each massage we do shows us more about the human body and how different people react to different things. In that way, it holds a lot of the same intrigue for me as martial arts. Each time you think you're starting to figure something out, it seems to just open 100 new doors. In the same way that martial arts isn't about beating people up (unless it's kempo), massage isn't about rubbing muscles.

So what is it about? Obviously, I don't know, but I'm interested to see what I find out in the coming years.