The Dog Days
Posted August 18th, 2007 by tabutne
I have been in a small bit of a funk. I am finding little motivation to sit in front of a computer screen, and even less creative juice to think of what I might want to blog about this month. So I think the best thing is to just see what comes up, right here, right now!
It seems to be that in Boise, ID, every one skips town for, oh, the entire summer, leaving this place a virtual vacant lot for the cave dwellers who aren't going kayaking down the north fork of the Payette, or backpacking in the Sawtooths. And this adventurous spirit has seriously interrupted the wonderful growth we had been experiencing throughout the spring months. But the larger issue, I'm suspecting, is really my perception of the whole thing.
We are doing great, and for me to admit that is really great. Over the past two months I have found myself getting really bogged down in numbers, and systems, and paint colors, and not really enjoying myself much. It's been especially strange that I have been indulging these feelings for so long. It seems to me that I have forgotten, for some reason, that I am not really alone, and there is this HUGE (and growing by the minute) support network called CAN that is there for me just when this sort of thing happens. I think a part of me is just geared towards feeling like I have to go it alone, it HAS to be hard, and if I am not worrying about something I am not paying attention.
This is my first business, my first year practicing acupuncture as a professional, and my first year living in Idaho. I have let the ebb and flow of a new practice get to me too much, and I have forgotten that there is tons of positive inspiration out there. There is also a lot of guidance and structure for those that enjoy these sorts of things.
Much of the "advice" I got in school about business was really rather negative, or at least totally uninspiring. I even had one administrator tell me that as acupuncture students we were all taking on a larger debt load than we could realistically handle. That was really super to hear in the middle of my second year. Maybe it's these cobwebs of the past that crept up into my head over the summer and caused this dearth of happy. Or perhaps I just didn't treat myself to enough acupuncture, or ice cream.
Acupuncture causes a shift in the way the body communicates with itself. People can feel the benefits of this on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. People often communicate this shift as a positive, or liberating experience.
In a similar vein, one of the most wonderful things about CAN is that I always hear this "YES" echoing through the posts. It's really awesome. This "YES" causes people to get excited and inspired and challenged. I think CAN is good medicine for those who may find themselves in a funk, or are feeling funky and can't find a place to dance. (oh, did that make sense?!)
Anyway, cheers to all of you who continue to contribute to the beautiful patchwork of this revolution.
Many happy blessings,
frannie
Re: The Dog Days
One of the hardest things about starting a practice is that damn ebb and flow. WCA got slow in July too. What becomes clear after a while is that patients come and go -- and come back. What they value about you is that you're still there when they do. Our numbers would have gone down a lot further this last month except that a whole lot of patients who hadn't been in for months or years (four years, in one case!) came in to fill the slots that our current regulars left empty. Lots of them said things like, "I can't believe I waited so long -- I wish I'd come in sooner -- but stuff just kept happening..." It just takes being open long enough to accumulate enough patients that come and go, so that your overall numbers stabilize even when everyone seemingly goes on vacation. It will happen, never fear. Just keep doing what you're doing.
Re: The Dog Days
Don't know if I'd be much help as I have been wondering just how long my patients can spend in the Sawtooths myself. This summer has been a hard hit business wise and I feel your crankyness about the whole situation, but at least since it is both of us this is happening to maybe it really is just about summer and not my psychotic climb up and down the positive thinking ladder. If you'd like a treatment come on over, I've got a comfy chair or two.
Julie