11/16/2025
Last weekend, my wife and I attended our daughter’s Shakespeare school play at The King’s Academy.
If you’ve never been to a Shakespeare play, here’s my friendly public service announcement on what to expect:
You’ll spend the first hour pretending to understand what’s happening, the second hour wondering if anyone else does, and the final act clapping out of sheer relief that it’s over. (Just kidding. That’s my ignorance talking when it comes to appreciating the fine arts.)
But to put it a little more gently…
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll have absolutely no idea why.
Anyway, after the play wrapped up, we were smiling, laughing, talking with other parents, taking pictures with my daughter, and enjoying the fact that we would be on our way home soon to decompress in our natural habitat… where no one speaks in 15th-century riddles and everything is said in good ol’ fashioned plain English.
Then a man with a camera materialized out of nowhere like he’d been training for a documentary on ambush interviewing. He struck with the speed of a door-to-door salesman who spotted an open garage.
He walked straight up to my wife, bypassing at least 40 more qualified and more willing parents, and asked, “Ma’am, would you be willing to do a quick interview for an ad we’re putting together?”
Now, my wife is wonderful. But when it comes to spontaneous interviews… let’s just say it’s not exactly her love language.
If there’s a camera within 20 feet, she instinctively starts scanning for a door, a hallway, or a solid wall she might be able to blend into. Being on camera is about as comfortable for her as wearing tight shoes on a long day.
And if she sees a microphone?
That’s a whole different level.
She treats microphones the way most people treat rattlesnakes: no sudden movements… and slowly back away.
In a nutshell, when it comes to spontaneous interviews, she would gladly choose dental work instead…without Novacaine.
But the man was already smiling, the microphone was already up, and she was already saying “sure” before her survival instincts could kick in. He was so polite and so sudden that escape wasn’t even an option. Before she knew it, the microphone was in the “ready” position.
Meanwhile, I’m off to the side thinking,
“Oh great… this guy has no idea he just kicked my wife’s sympathetic nervous system into overdrive… and I’m going to have to fix it later!”
She finished the interview, handed the mic back, did everything they asked, and immediately began auditing her performance with the intensity of a Supreme Court hearing.
For the rest of the evening, she replayed every second in her mind like she was analyzing security footage.
“Why did I do this?”
“Why did I say THAT?”
“Did that sentence even have an ending?”
“Why did I smile like that? Who smiles like that?”
“Did I blink normally, or did I blink like I’m sending Morse code?”
“Did I look calm or like someone delivering a hostage statement?”
“Can I legally stop them from showing this?”
It was a full internal meltdown. the kind only a surprise camera can cause.
Then the ad came out.
We watched it, bracing for impact… and she absolutely nailed it. She looked confident, comfortable, kind, and exactly like the thoughtful person she always is. If you didn’t know the behind-the-scenes panic, you’d never guess she had been dying inside.
What a concept: how she felt in the moment had almost nothing to do with how things actually went.
Which brings me to health.
Because the way my wife internalized that interview?
That’s EXACTLY how people treat their healing process.
Some folks walk into my clinic like undercover agents gathering evidence of failure:
“I don’t think anything’s changing.”
“I’m probably getting worse.”
“My spine actively dislikes me.”
Meanwhile their body is quietly remodeling scar tissue, calming nerves, reducing inflammation, realigning joints, and whispering, “Ma’am… we are literally doing our job.”
Then weeks later, they stroll in surprised:
“Wow… I actually feel pretty good now.”
“I slept the whole night!”
“I lifted something and nothing snapped!”
But during the process?
Everyone becomes their own worst commentator:
“I didn’t feel anything today… is that bad?”
“I felt something today… is THAT bad?”
It’s like people expect healing to show up with a PowerPoint presentation:
“Observe increased mobility in slide 6B.”
“Notice the 14% reduction in inflammation.”
But real progress doesn’t announce itself.
It moves like a quiet ninja, steady, subtle, and only obvious when you look back.
So here’s the takeaway:
Stop grading yourself minute-by-minute.
Zoom out. Look at the trend.
Because 9 times out of 10… you’re doing better than you think.
Have a GREAT Saturday!
Dr. Derek Taylor, DC
P.S. Patient Appreciation Turkey Day – Monday, November 24, 2025
To say thank you for being part of our Taylor Chiropractic & Laser Center family, we’re celebrating with a special one-day event:
Existing Patients
Schedule an appointment that day and receive a FREE Thanksgiving turkey with your visit.
New Patients
$97 New Patient Special – Includes consultation, exam, X-rays (if needed), adjustment, and a TheraLight 360 red light treatment + a FREE turkey.
Reactivation Patients (haven’t been in for 3+ months)
$47 Visit – Includes re-exam, intersegmental traction, and an adjustment + a FREE turkey.
*Due to federal and insurance regulations, this offer does not apply to Medicare or personal injury patients.
Appointments are limited.
Call 561-867-1020 to reserve your spot.