June and July Specials
Published by jennifer on Tagged NewsHello Everyone. A little story about the dog…..
My husband and I planned a four night backpack in north central Pennsylvania a few weekends ago. The Loyalsock trail is a quietly kept secret that winds through mountain ridges and streams on soft mossy footbeds of Lycoming County. With our backpacks loaded down with food and gear, we headed out with Moose the dog for a little natural respite.
Our first night out was picturesque. A gushing 15 foot waterfall had carved out a perfect S in our small canyon, and left a soft, flat perch that beckoned you to stay the night. So inspiratonal, in fact, that prior backpackers had created an elaborate fire pit made of stone, complete with two rock armchairs and a sizeable table between. Sweet. With our fluffy beast at our feet, we all let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
The next morning we leisurely got up and out. Following the river upstream, dodging in and around high meadow, we passed a 40 foot rock slide that delivered into a deep swimming hole. Chip didn’t hesitate in the chilly spring water, which is intriguing because cold shower water makes him scream like a little girl… And then we heard a scuffle up the hill, and the dog comes charging back toward us with a face full of porcupine quills. Great.
I managed to pull out two of the long ones. It is not unlike pulling fish hooks out of your face, so needless to say, Moose was very unhappy. We paused for a moment to come to terms with the situation that had so rudely interrupted our hike, and concluded that there was no other alternative but to head back to the car, grab a map, and head for a vet.
Several hours and several hundred dollars later, we had a sedated, quill-free dog who we were told could not even climb stairs for the next 36 hours. We rented a cabin for two more nights and called it a wash. Reaffirmed with the lesson of ‘you never know what’s going to happen.’
And because it is what I do, I reflect on these experiences and try to create a meaningful analogy to life. To well-being. To happiness and refusal to let anything weigh us down. For instance….
Moose is a 13 year old, 100+ lb. rootbeer barrel of a dog, and it has become a little bit challenging to plan trips with him in mind. But I do it anyway because the woods are his Eden, and far be it from me to leave him home.
And were we mad at him? Ummm… not really. You have to kind of chuckle at the fact that he still tries to catch things. You have to go with the flow because believe it or not, the FLOW is way stronger than we are. It’s the path of least resistance type of thing…
So, what if we approached ourselves and our bodies like we might approach our dogs?
Go to those places that fill you with absolute satisfaction. Even if it seems difficult. Even if you feel old or out of shape or too busy. You owe it to your heart to let it sing…
Take care of your body. Don’t wait until you have quills in your face before you come to grips with needing some TLC. Exercise, check ups, massage. Body Maintenence and mind-body connection is almost too simple of an idea to impress. But I will always try…
June is the Month of folks in uniform. Firefighters, police officers, mail carriers. Please enjoy $10 off your massages in June, and because this is a little bit late, all of July as well.
July is a month where Center Yourself Massage celebrates Teachers and Child care providers. Hopefully you all get a little bit of time to enjoy the summer, and we hope that you come in and get $10 off your massage.
As always, when you buy in bulk, you save money. But more importantly, you make a wonderful self investment that eliminates the whens and the hows of busy living. When you purchase 5 massages, you get one free. Save $70 when you spend $350.
Take great care of your bodies in this heat. Go for an early morning walk or maybe a swim. It’s not about what has brought you to this point, but where you take it from here. And we are always here to help.
Get a massage and your body will thank you. We’ll see you on the table.
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