There are so many stories that I could tell about the people I met while in the Dominican Republic. But there are three whom stand out above all the others as they are representative of the Chiropractic lifestyle.
Anthony the Guide
Anthony was the lead guide during the “waterfall challenge” on day one. The challenge was not only swimming up a series of waterfalls through a canyon, but then jumping 30 foot cliffs and sliding our way back down. This waterfall series is a national monument called the 27 Charcos in the DR. Anthony was the lead guide of 6 or seven individuals. He stands a mere five and a half feet and might weigh in at 125 lbs (as were the rest of the guides). But he had the energy of a two year old loaded up on sugar. Anthony was joyful and playful. Jumping out of bushes to surprise us and readily engaged us in conversation. Ask me about how to say “water” in Chinese. But once he got to the waterfalls, he was all business. Anthony and his team were lifting and pulling us up the falls like we were all small children instead of full grown adults. Anthony himself carried the $10,000 PBS camera up the falls. He jumped from canyon wall to canyon wall as if he were Spiderman. There was no fear in his eyes and you could tell that he just loved life. You had no choice but to smile when he passed you. And if I could have cloned and patented Anthony to sell as a self-help guide on how to live life to it’s fullest, I would have. Living life to its fullest is what Chiropractic is all about.
Antonio
Antonio was our guide on day two. He spoke good English and had a great perspective on life. He worked as a physical education teacher in a school and took the day off because he “wanted to help the missionaries from America.” Once he heard that Chiropractic was about aligning the body and brain with God, he became the most passionate translator I met while in the DR. When we just walked into a hospital and started adjusting people, he was there to calm the doctor. But the thing I remember the most about Anthony was the love he displayed. After lunch he took us for a walk along the ridgeline behind the church we were at. We walked down to the river behind the church, about 500 yards or more down a cliff. The whole way up and down he talked about his students and girlfriend. He was intending to propose to her soon and had been granted a plot of land behind the church along the river he was taking us to. Antonio’s love and service to others exemplify Chiropractic traits.
The man in the Café
This man never gave me his name, only that he had moved from the DR to the USA in order to work more. After 15 years here, he returned to the DR “because you American’s work too hard.” His whole point in that statement was truly family. He looked around and said that he had his wife and parents back at his house. He was sitting next to his uncle sipping on a soda while his daughters played with their friends. He had his friends to hang with and talk to. As he put it, he had a job that paid for what he needed. He had a roof and a home and he grew and raised all of his own food. He told me to look around at the beautiful jungle mountainside. He said to me, “What more do I need? I have everything I could possibly want in life right here.” His words stuck with me and I learned a little about family and life in those few minutes.
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