“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
Mark Twain

Once upon a time, a student went to his teacher complaining about a chronic neck problem he had. Various professionals had given him neck exercises to help release the excessive stress he held there, but nothing seemed to work. He just couldn’t figure out what was preventing his neck from relaxing. He really was a walking pain in the neck.

The teacher looked over the student with a glance and said, “It is your right great toe.”

The student was stunned and laughed inwardly at this remark.  He respected his teacher so didn’t laugh outwardly. After all his teacher was getting rather old, the poor guy. The student walked away bemused and chuckling.

Nevertheless, he started to pay more attention to his toe. He’d wiggle it and then laugh at what the teacher saw as the basis for his neck problem. Sometimes when his neck got extra tight he rubbed his neck and toe at the same time.  Two hands of course.  It wasn’t easy.  Try it sometime.

As he did this he thought, ‘What a strange teacher, but look at me – I’m playing with my toes!’

And through his pain he’d chuckle. It was during one of those chuckles that his pain momentarily disappeared.

“It’s the chuckle that made me forget the pain,” he thought “Certainly it couldn’t be that toe!”

But he didn’t forget that brief moment of relief so he continued to massage and wiggle his toes.

Soon his chronic neck pain went away. Call it coincidence.

Call it a good laugh.

Call it reflexology.

Call it what you may, but any way you call it, it’s a true story.