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I once heard a teaching story about 2 grizzled hunters who met in a bar in the Yukon. After a few drinks, they started to argue about the existence of God. One man insisted that there was a God while his opponent was just as sure there was no God. “Yes there is!” “No there isn’t!” “God exists!” “No He doesn’t, and I can prove it.”
The non-believer said, “I was out hunting when a snow storm caught me. The snow came down hard and obliterated the trail. I was lost. I didn’t know what to do, so I got down on my knees and prayed, God, if there is a God, please help me now.” “You are here. That proves that God exists,” said the believer. “No it doesn’t,” said his opponent. “Some darn Eskimo came along and showed me the way back to town!”
We all have Eskimos who come into our lives and show us the way. My definition of Eskimos is that they are strangers who come into our life and give us information or opportunities that lead us forward toward a positive experience or goal. Lately, I have been looking back on my life, trying to figure out which Eskimos helped me and how it occurred.
Thirty years ago I came across a wonderful book about a new approach to weight loss. It was a self-published book that wasn’t sold in the stores but was circulated by word of mouth. The book combined what we now call Behavior Modification with spirituality. I was so taken with the ideas that I wrote the author, Elizabeth Keyes, a letter explaining my own issues and how I was inspired by her belief that we can be “free of the bondage of food.” Amazingly, she replied, and offered me ideas.
Elizabeth became my mentor. She guided me to start a class and tell people about what she named the “art of gentle eating.” Her generosity and love sustained me as I taught more and more classes, usually through local adult education facilities. Interpreting her ideas eventually led me to write my own book, How to Stop Playing the Weighting Game.
In time, various people in my classes asked to see me alone to discuss personal problems. Therapists heard about my classes and I was invited to give a presentation at a counseling center. Another Eskimo appeared. The director of the center suggested that I look into getting licensed as a psychotherapist. At that time I was a single parent and could not afford the time or the money to go back to school, however I promised to contact the state agency to inquire. I did and was told that in one month the law was going to change to mandate that Marriage and Family Therapists had to have a Masters degree in psychology, but for another thirty days people with advanced degrees in Education or Sociology were eligible for licensing. I got in under the wire with my degree in education and was able to qualify and get my license in a short time.
I owe my most recent success as author and practitioner in the field of energy psychology to another Eskimo. More than 10 years ago I was attending a workshop. During the break, as I was leaving the room, the man next to me began a conversation. As we talked, he mentioned that there was a strange technique called Thought Field Therapy that he had seen created by someone named Dr. Roger Callahan. Callahan tapped on the face of a person who was afraid of heights and took away the fear in minutes. Since I didn’t like heights either, the stranger demonstrated as we stood at a second floor balcony. I was soon able to look over the balcony and was very impressed.
The next day I began to look into this strange process with little luck, but I was so enthralled I kept trying. Eventually, I discovered that a workshop in TFT was available nearby. That training changed my life and the way I practiced psychotherapy. I did not see my Eskimo for seven years. Then I bumped into him at a party. I was delighted to share with him how that chance encounter had turned my life around. Was he surprised!
As I look over the course of my life I am aware of even more Eskimos who have come my way, and I feel grateful. Think about the strangers who have changed the course of your life. One day, as I was coming out of the bank, a woman stopped me and told me that as a result of taking one of my public classes, she had decided to go back to school and study law. I was thrilled that I had been her Eskimo. Perhaps you have been someone’s Eskimo too.
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