My relationship with my back changed dramatically one day when I was hit by a car. . . . On the night before the surgery, I engaged in a ritual of thanksgiving for my body that had so narrowly escaped death. . .
'Thank you, back,' I began, shifting my attention up to the most injured part of me as I called to mind all the ways my back had served me in my life. 'Thank you for supporting me, for carrying me and my belongings everywhere I've moved in this world. Thank you for helping me to carry others who've been too weak to carry themselves. Thank you for carrying me into the majesty of the Himalayas, into the hunger and haunting mysteries of Calcutta, into the numinous quietude of temples and monasteries and cathedrals around the world. Thank you for carrying me into the lives of people who have taught me everything I know about love and kindness and not giving up no matter what. Thank you for bearing the weight of my cameras, my guitars, my tape recorders, so I could bring music to others and bring back home the music and images of people from other places.'
— Jan Phillips, Divining the Body