What’s that pin on your head?

上星 shàngxīng, a point for allergies

Monday, April 21, 2014

I had lunch with a stranger today.

She asked me for money as I decided to have Thai for lunch, so I invited her to eat with me. This is how I differentiate between those who are panhandling for drug money and those who are actually hungry. This one came in and sat with me, ordered stuffed chicken wings and shrimp fried rice to go. She had an appointment at noon at Highland Hospital to pick up medication for diabetes. We made polite conversation over the peanut sauce in the house salad. Medi-Cal pays for her meds. There is no copay. She is a mother of four, currently unemployed. Two of her children are grown, 27 and 25. The other two are 8 and 12. Their daddy takes care of them. She lives in Oakland. Her name is Denise.

She asked about the "pin" in my head. I told her it was for my allergies. I told her that I worked down the street at 411 Grand Ave, that I was the acupuncturist there. She asked about acupuncture and how it works. "No, there's no medicine in the needles. They're just small, sharp objects that get your body's attention. Very thin, yes. They activate your body's self-healing capacities. So really, your body is healing itself. I just point it in the right direction and get you started."

I told her that yes, acupuncture does work on diabetes, by helping your body metabolize sugar differently. Then her food was ready and she went on her way, leaving me with my noodle soup and hot tea, to mull over the truth of the 10th precept of Chiang Kai-Shek's Code for Young People: "Helping people is the root of happiness."

It's so nice to have the financial capacity to do this from time to time. I may never see her again, but it's moments like this I live for.