Serendipity

I have been suffering a major case of blogger’s block. I usually need to feel inspired to post, but I was feeling guilty for missing last month so I figured I would sit down and just write something mundane. Well, as serendipity would have it, I started by going back over my old posts to see how long I had been a CAN member and I started to see this amazing progression of events. I had not realized how things have come together over the past 8 months. I became very inspired to write this blog for those of you in the beginning stages of the CAN experience or anyone feeling stuck and wondering if things will work out. Here’s my year so far.

Early 2007
I moved from San Diego back to my hometown of Detroit. I hadn’t been practicing that last year in San Diego, but I knew I wanted to be an acupuncturist again. It was important for me to find a way to practice that I could feel good about. The most obvious idea of opening a practice and charging the going rate of $75-$125 didn’t feel right, and I was feeling frustrated and very bored because I wasn’t working, and I had a lot of time on my hands.

March 23 2007
I was searching for information on sliding scales, and I stumbled upon Lisa’s “Acupuncture Today” articles and immediately joined CAN. The obsession had started! I spent a few weeks reading every post on the forum, learning everything I could and becoming a posting addict. I started thinking I should go visit some clinics and see what it was like to practice this way. I started looking for clinics near me. There were no clinics anywhere near Detroit, but Minnesota seemed reasonably close.

April 16 2007
I had read many posts by Ann Mongeau, she seemed like someone I could learn from so I sent her e-mail and asked if I could come visit her clinic in MN. She replied and told me she was actually hosting a CA training in May. I hadn’t known about that, I was very excited and glad that she was the one I choose to contact.

May 19
The training turned out to be wonderful experience. I learned so much and I was able to see Ann’s clinic and Kerri Casey’s new clinic.

After the conference I knew I had to create a CA clinic. The model was everything I was looking for. I spent more time reading posts and looking at local office space. I was so excited about CAN, but things still didn’t feel quite right. There were no local Canners and I felt a little lonely and not excited about doing this on my own. I really wanted a partner, but there weren’t even any active members in Michigan. I tried to resign myself to going it alone, acupuncturists aren’t exactly clamoring to move here.

June 11
I was feeling really frustrated on this day, and I responded to a thread about Community Acupuncture and herbs, this is an actual copy/paste from my post:

As far as sharing a pharmacy;
PLEASE SOMEBODY MOVE TO DETROIT! I want a partner. Sorry, go back to herb discussion.

June 21
This post showed up on my introduction thread:

Wow, what serendipity! I am a NYC PCOM student graduating in August, and my husband and I are planning to move back to Michigan. I would love to open a clinic with someone else rather than alone. If you feel the same, we should definitely talk!

June 21-Septemer 26
Lots and lots of waiting. Is that girl ever going to graduate and get her butt out here? (Just kidding Darlene)

September 27
We meet at last! She seems focused and together; we enjoy a micro brew after all the business talk (she's smart and she likes good beer, that works for me). We think it might work, but she has to go back and sell her condo, and I have to figure out how to get some financing. There is a little more waiting and lots of e-mails. I was able to use this time come up with a family loan.

November 20
She's moved here and we get to work

Today
We are finishing up the business plan and start up financing is in place. Everything is working out and the goal is to open Metro Detroit’s first community acupuncture clinic in January 2008.

Maybe it's just coincidence that everything worked out this way, but I feel there is a little more than that at work here.

Linda