Today Barry and I went to Ashland, Oregon, to see our Rolfers/coaches and to enjoy the day…
something we haven’t been doing enough lately with all the work we’ve had to take care of.
To the right is a long shot of Ashland, showing the beautiful landscape and the quaint town nestled among the natural setting.
It was taken by photographer Christopher Briscoe, probably in the summer time, because now, of course, the trees are breathtaking shades of red, orange and yellow with just a bit of green left over (mainly the evergreens, since they remain… well, ever green!) 😉
One of the world’s largest Shakespeare festivals is held here, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
What’s interesting to me on a personal level is my ex-husband grew up in Stratford, Ontario, home of another of the world’s largest and most respected Shakespeare festivals, which I visited many times over the years. Ashland reminds me a lot of Stratford because of the Shakespearean flavor the town has, and it seems a little strange to be so close once again to one of the world’s finest festivals in the genre.
But my ex hated Shakespeare, so I only ever went to the plays with school friends or my parents. Barry, on the other hand, likes culture, so he and I are planning to go to a play at the Oregon one together next year, which I see as a very romantic outing.
Anyhow, the day started off by shooting a video of Barry talking to our community members while driving from Grants Pass to Ashland. But the batteries died in the middle of the take, so we had to put that project on hold for awhile.
Then we had our energy healing sessions. Barry had a true Rolfing from Zeb Lancaster, but I actually had a Rolfing/massage hybrid from his wife Melanie. I was quite amused by that, because the other day I wrote about Barry’s patented Rolf-age skills (part Rolfing and part massage) and never thought I’d get a professional session like that.
Not only does Rolfing heal physically though; it also heals mentally and emotionally, because the practitioners are trained psychologists too, and can coach you through life changes that may be affecting your physical health.
I actually talked to Melanie a lot about my current situation while she massaged me, and I found out more about Zeb than I did the past couple of times when he worked directly on me.
All in all, despite the hard pressure, it was incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating, because of the subsequent release of tension, and Barry emerged with glowing eyes looking totally renewed.
After our sessions we went to Lithia Park, pictured to the left, which is a beautiful oasis just off the main strip and right behind the Shakespeare theaters.
There we shot another version of
Barry’s video, and this time he handed it off to me for one of our off-the-cuff, trading the camera back-and-forth videos that are so much fun to do, and that people say they enjoy watching.
It’s really motivational to do that in such an awe-inspiring environment. But more than trying to get a great video, we just really felt connected to each other, and treasured every moment of exploration.
Then we went to a couple of new age bookstores on the main street, and I ended up with three new books. All of them are either personal development or healing books, or a combination of both; and all three were geared towards women, which is something I’ve never really gravitated towards before. But these ones spoke to me in a way, and I knew I had to have them.
To end the day, we went to Red Lobster for endless shrimp. Of course I can’t eat as much as some people might, so it’s not exactly endless; but just like life:
“You gotta know when to hold ’em,
Know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.”
The trick is to walk away when you’ve had enough, enjoyed the experience, and want to savor it again another day.
And always be grateful for what you get.
Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life,
