Are You Readng This, Eric?

   I am writing this entry for my physiotherapist, Eric Huller. He practises his art here in Toronto, so if you live hereabouts, and need some physio, I want you to know that you couldn't find anyone better than Eric. Look him up in the phone book.
    I have been visiting his clinic in Don Mills for several months, since I sustained injury in a September car accident. I went in there with problems in my neck, my lower back, and my right shoulder, so the recovery was made more complicated than any one of those on its own would have required. Through it all, Eric has helped to provide a reason to persevere. I have never met anyone who gets more mileage out of the word "good" than does this man! He will begin to manipulate one of your joints -shoulder, or whatever- into some position that you swear is impossible for the human anatomy to attain. When you start seeing stars, he pushes it one little bit further, and then says "goooooood" in the gentlest, most encouraging voice. The sound of that voice, coming at the same moment as the contortions he has pretzled you into, leaves you totally bemused. You miss registering half the complaints you are actually entitled to, because you're just too busy trying to figure it all out. How COULD you complain about something good?
   Eric has tremendous people skills. I think he should run classes on those skills for other medical practitioners, too many of whom are sadly lacking in the aforementioned qualities. He chats and laughs with his patients, and frequently bursts into a line or two from a song, before he goes on to sharing anecdotes from his family life. All of this, of course, is to distract people from the fact that something hurts, and help them get past it. I have seen his face creased into a huge smile, and I have seen his eyes filled with genuine concern for the people he treats. He is indeed a special person, and a past master at his art. Thank you for being there, Eric.