The truth is I’m a little obsessed with the Gallbladder. Not in the intensely intellectually curious way – I’m not learning the intricacies of biomedical anatomy or thumbing through studies about the etymological analysis of the Chinese character dan 膽. This is visceral, personal. This is lived experience.

Since I started school in Chinese Medicine at NUNM (then, NCNM) the Gallbladder has been stalking me. The rat with its head stuck in a sawed off signpost, the repeated yijing readings Fu, The Return. Physical symptoms, all through school and beyond.

Today, I seize that momentum.

For ten years, I worked within an institutional context, doing my best to bring decent education to good people in a beautiful city. But, ultimately, that environment isn’t what’s right for me. While it taught me so much – introduced me to so many wonderful people – it stifled my voice. I worried too much about what others thought of me, how they judged me professionally. Everything I wrote was seen in my mind through the eyes of these (always) critical Others.

Now my focus is on my practice, on my town, and on doing my part to right the ship of the United States of America. I am still a professional, of course, and I still have to be aware of the potential ramifications of what I say. The Internet is, after all, forever.

But it’s a different beast, and one I can tame. So, I’m starting over. From the height of Chinese Medicine Central, with several student contributors, a stable of courses, an active podcast and a whole lot of infrastructure – to this. Something simple to be a foil for the exploration I’m doing already all the time.

There’s something about writing. Something more about sharing writing. That the technology has changed – and millions could read my words rather than dozens – doesn’t alter the equation that much for me. I’ve always loved sharing what I write, and reading what others wrote. For now, this site is just a place for the celebration of that.

But, yeah – write about what?

Medicine, of course. And the Philosophy of Medicine. Ethics. The political aspects of being a medical provider. Small town life. My infinite love of nature and its lessons. And the many faces and talents one must master to be a reasonably balanced, happy acupuncturist in this country, in this economic climate. So, the topics resonate with previous sites that many of you have seen me explore – we’re just turning things 15 degrees off axis.

Let’s see where that gets us.