July 13, 2016

I am a workhorse. Really, I am. Many summers I spend each weekend working on classes that I will teach in the fall or winter. There is the application process for Education Units for Acupuncturists or Massage Therapists, which usually requires a weekend. There is the making of flyers and announcements. There are slides and handouts to be made for each class, which will also take a weekend. So that means that summers can be very busy filling all the free time with extra work. I sometimes cannot make it to a beach or spend much time hiking.

And as part of the task of being self-employed as a healer/acupuncturist/ qigong therapist, the summers are times that I might have opportunities to study many different subjects that could help my clients. Even if the subject might deal directly with my reorganization of my energy field. Last year I took a number of classes in Qigong, Chinese Brush Painting and Acupuncture. Free time gets interwoven with business.

But this year, I am doing things a little different. Last October when I was in Anchorage teaching several Qigong weekend classes I mentioned my desire to come to Alaska and do something that I have heard many people from the lower 48 states do: take a vacation. Some of the students thought as long as I was coming to Alaska a day class would be wonderful. So I agreed to a class with no handouts, slides, no education credits, with ongoing Qigong students.

So I did that and had a few book talks. I was working on finishing the book in October and being able to do talks in several locations was a real plus. I love teaching and I remain in awe that people find my book helpful to them in their own lives.

More impressive for me is that I actually took days off, in fact I took 6 days in a row off. I went with dear friends to Denali national park where I had the spiritual experience of watching moose, bears, caribou, and sheep as they roamed the amazing landscape hardly aware of the buses on the road where people hope to spot them. I always watch the elements in nature but in Alaska it is different as even if there is a road in the environment is very protected and I realized that it’s as pristine as it was 100 years ago. I hope people always protect the parks for us, the animals, and all future generations.

One of my favorite activities in the world is taking hikes. I went on several: one by Byers Lake near Denali and the other in Anchorage by Powerline Pass in Anchorage. I saw wild flowers galore, berries and landscape that could inspire you for the rest of your life. And being with new and old friends also gave it meaning for me.

I accomplished other activities too including but not limited to lounging around, reading a novel, lunching with friends, doing extra Qigong and meditation. How do I normally do so much in a day when it would be so easy to get caught up in fun activities?

I came back refreshed thinking that I looked at least 5 years younger. I’m still on Alaska time and jetlagged. And I miss that endless day quality of the summer in this northern most state where the night is not dark this time of year. But for me, it was a much needed adventure into the down time experience.

What should your vacation be? Should it be with family and/or friends? What will feed your spirit? Go for it and enjoy. Renew and refresh yourself as if you have all the time in the world and vacationing is the most important thing in the world that you could do for yourself. It just might be. This applies even if you are a workhorse.