A good friend expressed his reluctance to have a reflexology session with me … because he was my friend! I wasn’t sure how to respond to him, other than to reassure him that I wouldn’t hurt him and that I found feet to be beautiful. I told the story to my certification teacher. She encouraged me to really listen to the feelings that people have about their feet, their insecurities, their histories, their need to be understood rather than soothed. The idea that there is a barrier created by friendship was an unusual one for me. My friend expected a kind of impersonal detachment between a “professional” and the client that he felt was difficult between friends. Whereas I feel that one of the best gifts I could give anyone, friend or acquaintance, is a session of reflexology, which could only be enhanced by an existing, warm relationship. However, the offer of a gift is best accepted, as my friend eventually did, in a spirit of curiosity and openness, rather than a feeling of obligation. I encourage all to be receptive to reflexology’s benefits, as I will be to their concerns.