I’m addicted to massage therapy. I go to massage every other week and to the chiropractor once a month. Like clockwork. It all started as a result of a major car accident the family survived when Youngest Son wasn’t even a year old. Well, first I was sent to physiotherapy (I think it’s called physical therapy in the States), but my physio guy did a combo of physiotherapy and chiropractic moves on me, because my neck and upper back were so screwed up by the accident. And still are. To some degree. I think it’s safe to say it’s writing that bunches me up now.
I once stopped going to physio for over a year. However, the more I got into writing, the worse my condition grew. My physio guy moved (he was great!) and the next physio had horrendous waiting times, so off to the chiropractor I went. And I haven’t looked back. I’ve also done Intra-Muscular Stimulation, which I like to call “painful acupuncture,” because it consists of having the needles shoved directly into the muscles giving you trouble. As much as I don’t like going to IMS, it was the therapy that finally got rid of a knot in my back that I’d had for fourteen years (since the car accident). Since then, the massage suffices. I consider myself very lucky that My Liege has an excellent medical benefits plan through his work (mind you, he gives up other benefits to have such a great plan), because without this plan I could not afford my twice-monthly MT appts. And they are a godsend. I think they should be tax deductible for writers, because I consider massage therapy as vital to my occupation as a writer as I do my computer. In fact, it’s because of my computer that I need to go to massage therapy! It’s a vicious circle.
How about you? Is there a “luxury” that you consider a necessity for life as a writer? In your dream tax world, what would you write off as a justifiable expense (if you could)?