The Angel Came Back to Earth
About a year ago, I wrote a post about a young woman I called Angel. It was titled An Angel’s Last Day on Earth – An AMP Gem Only a Few Knew About.
At the time, I genuinely thought that was the end of her story as far as the massage industry was concerned.
She was leaving the country and moving on to other things. She’d been studying while working in massage one day a week, and she’d made it quite clear to me that massage wasn’t something she wanted to do long-term. She had other interests, other ambitions, and work outside the industry that she actually enjoyed.
I was happy for her. On her last day, she seemed relieved, and I remember thinking that she was finally getting to do what she wanted.
I gave the original post what I thought was a rather nice ending. Mrs Langtrees even commented that it should have been a blog.
Well, perhaps I should have waited before writing that ending.
Because Angel came back.
I was surprised when I saw her working in massage again. Naturally, I was curious about what had happened.
The explanation wasn’t particularly dramatic. She needed the money.
I’ll admit I felt a little sad about it. I’d been genuinely pleased when she left, especially knowing how she felt about the work. Seeing her return gave me the impression that things hadn’t quite worked out as she’d hoped.
But after talking with her, I realised I’d been looking at it rather narrowly.
She hadn’t given up on anything. She was still studying, still working towards her qualifications and still earning money doing other work she enjoyed. Massage was simply another way of supporting herself while she continued with everything else.
She wasn’t completely happy with her circumstances, but she certainly wasn’t sitting around doing nothing about them.
And that got me thinking about why I’d felt sorry for her in the first place.
Was I actually feeling sorry for Angel, or was I disappointed because her life hadn’t followed the nice ending I’d imagined for her?
I’d decided that leaving massage was progress and returning was a step backwards. It seemed obvious to me at the time.
But why should it be?
I’m not suggesting that every woman working in massage wants to leave. I’ve met women who genuinely enjoy the work, others who treat it as just another job, and some who are doing it for the money while they pursue other things.
Angel had told me how she felt about it, and I respected that. But somewhere along the way, I’d started measuring her progress against what I thought would be best for her.
That’s a bit presumptuous when I think about it.
There’s also something slightly uncomfortable about feeling sorry for someone who hasn’t asked for your sympathy.
Angel certainly hasn’t asked me to rescue her. She’s working, studying, making her own decisions and getting on with her life. I’m the one sitting here wondering whether she should be doing something different.
I still wish she didn’t have to do work she doesn’t particularly enjoy. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
But then, how many people get to earn a living doing exactly what they love, all the time? Most of us make compromises. Some are temporary, some go on longer than we’d hoped, and sometimes we end up back somewhere we thought we’d left behind.
That doesn’t mean we’ve stopped trying to get somewhere else.
I went back and read my original post recently. I finished it with this wish for Angel:
“May the next room you walk into be one where you never have to pretend.”
I still like that line.
And there was something almost comical about reading it again, knowing she’d walked straight back into one of those old rooms.
But I don’t regret writing it. I meant every word at the time.
What I hadn’t considered was that leaving an industry doesn’t necessarily have to be one grand, permanent decision. Perhaps she leaves again next year. Perhaps she stays longer. Perhaps her plans change completely.
I really don’t know.
What I do know is that she’s still the same young woman I admired when I wrote about her a year ago. Her ambitions haven’t disappeared simply because she’s returned to massage.
And perhaps I admire her a little more now, because I can see that she’s continuing with her plans even when things aren’t quite going the way she’d hoped.
Somewhere in Perth’s AMP industry, there’s still a rather special hidden gem. I’m not going to tell you where to find her. This was never intended to be a recommendation or a review.
It’s just a story about someone I’ve enjoyed getting to know, and something her circumstances made me think about.
I’d actually be interested to hear what the working ladies here think.
For those of you who enjoy the industry, was that always the case? And for those using it to support studies, family or other ambitions, do you see it as something temporary, or have your feelings about the work changed over time?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from women whose experiences are different from Angel’s. Perhaps I’ve still got some of this wrong.
As for Angel, I have no idea where she’ll be in another year’s time. After getting the ending wrong once, I’m not going to try writing another one for her.
For now, Angel is back on Earth.
But she hasn’t stopped walking.
About a year ago, I wrote a post about a young woman I called Angel. It was titled An Angel’s Last Day on Earth – An AMP Gem Only a Few Knew About.
At the time, I genuinely thought that was the end of her story as far as the massage industry was concerned.
She was leaving the country and moving on to other things. She’d been studying while working in massage one day a week, and she’d made it quite clear to me that massage wasn’t something she wanted to do long-term. She had other interests, other ambitions, and work outside the industry that she actually enjoyed.
I was happy for her. On her last day, she seemed relieved, and I remember thinking that she was finally getting to do what she wanted.
I gave the original post what I thought was a rather nice ending. Mrs Langtrees even commented that it should have been a blog.
Well, perhaps I should have waited before writing that ending.
Because Angel came back.
I was surprised when I saw her working in massage again. Naturally, I was curious about what had happened.
The explanation wasn’t particularly dramatic. She needed the money.
I’ll admit I felt a little sad about it. I’d been genuinely pleased when she left, especially knowing how she felt about the work. Seeing her return gave me the impression that things hadn’t quite worked out as she’d hoped.
But after talking with her, I realised I’d been looking at it rather narrowly.
She hadn’t given up on anything. She was still studying, still working towards her qualifications and still earning money doing other work she enjoyed. Massage was simply another way of supporting herself while she continued with everything else.
She wasn’t completely happy with her circumstances, but she certainly wasn’t sitting around doing nothing about them.
And that got me thinking about why I’d felt sorry for her in the first place.
Was I actually feeling sorry for Angel, or was I disappointed because her life hadn’t followed the nice ending I’d imagined for her?
I’d decided that leaving massage was progress and returning was a step backwards. It seemed obvious to me at the time.
But why should it be?
I’m not suggesting that every woman working in massage wants to leave. I’ve met women who genuinely enjoy the work, others who treat it as just another job, and some who are doing it for the money while they pursue other things.
Angel had told me how she felt about it, and I respected that. But somewhere along the way, I’d started measuring her progress against what I thought would be best for her.
That’s a bit presumptuous when I think about it.
There’s also something slightly uncomfortable about feeling sorry for someone who hasn’t asked for your sympathy.
Angel certainly hasn’t asked me to rescue her. She’s working, studying, making her own decisions and getting on with her life. I’m the one sitting here wondering whether she should be doing something different.
I still wish she didn’t have to do work she doesn’t particularly enjoy. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
But then, how many people get to earn a living doing exactly what they love, all the time? Most of us make compromises. Some are temporary, some go on longer than we’d hoped, and sometimes we end up back somewhere we thought we’d left behind.
That doesn’t mean we’ve stopped trying to get somewhere else.
I went back and read my original post recently. I finished it with this wish for Angel:
“May the next room you walk into be one where you never have to pretend.”
I still like that line.
And there was something almost comical about reading it again, knowing she’d walked straight back into one of those old rooms.
But I don’t regret writing it. I meant every word at the time.
What I hadn’t considered was that leaving an industry doesn’t necessarily have to be one grand, permanent decision. Perhaps she leaves again next year. Perhaps she stays longer. Perhaps her plans change completely.
I really don’t know.
What I do know is that she’s still the same young woman I admired when I wrote about her a year ago. Her ambitions haven’t disappeared simply because she’s returned to massage.
And perhaps I admire her a little more now, because I can see that she’s continuing with her plans even when things aren’t quite going the way she’d hoped.
Somewhere in Perth’s AMP industry, there’s still a rather special hidden gem. I’m not going to tell you where to find her. This was never intended to be a recommendation or a review.
It’s just a story about someone I’ve enjoyed getting to know, and something her circumstances made me think about.
I’d actually be interested to hear what the working ladies here think.
For those of you who enjoy the industry, was that always the case? And for those using it to support studies, family or other ambitions, do you see it as something temporary, or have your feelings about the work changed over time?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from women whose experiences are different from Angel’s. Perhaps I’ve still got some of this wrong.
As for Angel, I have no idea where she’ll be in another year’s time. After getting the ending wrong once, I’m not going to try writing another one for her.
For now, Angel is back on Earth.
But she hasn’t stopped walking.
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