s/p Open House

Throwing the doors open to Manchester, NH's 1st CAN entry last week was satisfying for sure. I have to say however, I didn't expect to have as much fun as I did at our 'Open Studio' Bash this past weekend.
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Several moments from the CA Conference @ WCA last fall continue to echo for me - Diana's impromptu rendition of a great song she wrote imploring action NOW for what she knows as the right thing to do; Lisa's emotionally raw (and typically uber-honest) explanation of why class issues remain a consistent starting point for her considerations of the inequities of delivering health care in the States; and Maria Perez recounting the (then) recent Open House party for Brooklyn Comm. Acup.

Maria's description of several drummers playing loudly on African hand drums while nearby many folks took advantage of free treatments in comfy recliners, captured my imagination for some reason. So much so, I took good advice to heart and scampered over to BCA on my way to PDX for a flight back East after the conference, in order to set my eyes on this new practice.

I think in retrospect, it was the irreverence of mixing loud music with sleepy acupuncture treatments in a party setting that tickled me in some way. What initially began as a whimsical trip to check out BCA turned into a personal blueprint for a vision of what I wanted 'my' CAP to look /feel like. The fifteen minute visit to BCA cemented for me what was at that time the missing piece of my plan.
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Eight months since my visit, and two days after 'my' own Open House bash, it's hard to for me to get a handle on the idea that this clinic has sprouted so quickly, and that our own first party has now passed.

Truth be told, we had the honor of listening to a talented guitarist playing familiar songs on an acoustic guitar in lieu of the visceral fire of loud drumming (the 'fire element' is otherwise well-represented at our clinic); I ended up treating strangers (though strangers they are no more...) and existing patients and family and friends while others just ate, drank and oversaw - some folks patiently waiting for an open chair. All of us side by side and having a ton of fun, with the simple act of giving/receiving an acupuncture treatment the impetus for our congregation. It just kills me when I realize [i]yet again[/i], that it is a simple idea and the work to see it through, that make this world turn.

I'm looking forward to our clinic remaining as busy as our 'Open Studio' party was, on the regular. This will come in time, I know. But today something that Lumiel wrote in her bio has caught my eye - and may stick with me for a while yet...

'I love being a part of this grand movement to change the world by being true to ourselves.'

...I wonder what role Manchester's 1st CAP may play for the next aspiring CAN'er...