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May 27, 2012

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself." --Basho

When Nothing Works

I'd had tendinitis in my elbow for over a year. Even something as gentle as twisting a doorknob made me wince in pain. I went to see my brother, Bertie, who also happens to be my doctor. As Bertie examined my elbow, I reminded him of everything I had done to try to fix my problem. When it began to hurt, I used ibuprofen. When that didn't work, we tried two injections of cortisone, six months apart. Meanwhile, I did physical therapy, tried ultrasound, used a brace, performed daily exercises, applied ice, and went to acupuncture and massage...."Nothing has helped!" I complained. "I have an idea," Bertie said. "Something we haven't yet tried." "What?" I hoped it wouldn't be too time-consuming or expensive. "You just said it yourself," he replied. "Nothing."

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BE THE CHANGE
A beautiful passage by the celebrated Japanese farmer, philosopher - whose "Do Nothing" approach to cultivating the land, and one's own life inspired millions. More ...



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