Our Hands, Our Stories

Charlotte and I toasting with our homemade molasses cookies after a successful Christmas tree cutting adventure - December, 2023

​Have you ever experienced a hand meditation? Many years ago, in massage school, we did a hand meditation one night. I worked full-time and went to school at night. Attending the night program at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy meant I’d have my certification in two years. It also meant the folks in my cohort were a tight bunch of people, having been together through thick and thin for all that time.

The night we did the hand meditation still lingers in my memory. We were in a large, carpeted room. The lights were dim, and we sat on round cushions or directly on the floor, spread out so we each had plenty of space. Our instructor, Aaron, led the lesson, starting with simply gazing at our hands, taking in the lines, the quality of the skin, the color of the flesh. We tuned in to how our hands felt: hot or cold, achy or tight, stiff or supple. 

We were then invited to remember all of the things our own hands had done in our lives: wiping a countertop clean, painting a watercolor, folding laundry, strumming a guitar, touching the petal of a rose, dusting snow off a coat, catching a ball, washing our face, stroking our dog behind the ears, hammering a nail to hang a picture, warming the hand of a grandparent, turning the pages of a book, caressing the cheek of a partner, watering a plant, writing a letter, slicing vegetables, pouring coffee, typing an email, playing the piano, holding a child’s hand, lifting a glass of water to our lips.

When we stop to think about it, take a quiet pause to ponder our hands throughout our lives, we realize that they have taken part in every moment. Our hands hold the story of our lives.

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In honor of our hands, and in the stark reality of our current flu season, here's a reminder of the simple and effective way to prevent spreading illness: washing with old-fashioned soap and water for 20 seconds is the way to go!
UC Health: Why soap and water work better than hand sanitizer to remove viruses and germs