THE FUSE

Toward the end of a Thai massage, the therapist twisted my back and said, gently, “Relax your shoulders.” I attempted to follow her instruction by consciously releasing every muscle I could sense, but a moment later she asked again. At this point, I whispered back with slight embarrassment, “This is as relaxed as it’s going to get, I’m afraid.” She sounded disappointed. “Oh... if you can’t relax, that’s not good for you,” which, unsurprisingly, did not help me relax any further.