Change in attitude, change in lattitude.

A couple I know own and operates StormKing Spa and Cabins just outside Mt Rainier National Park. The main building is over 100 years old but they have restored it completely and kept all the original materials and architecture. I went to massage school with Debra 18 years ago. The resort offers full spa facilities and individual themed cabins along with hot tubs and cedars saunas that are right next to Goat Creek. They needed a dependable part time massage therapist and got tired of the younger ones that were un-professional and un-reliable.

So yesterday I had a meeting with Debra and her husband about joining the team there. After going over the business agreements and paper work I decided to give it a try. I will be an independent contractor as I am currently and the resort will handle all the booking, paperwork, supplies equipment etc. They also needed someone that has a 4X4 and can drive in snow and black ice during the winter months.

This will be a big change for me since I have worked the injury/rehabilitation side of the profession for 18 years. But at this point I'm getting very burned out dealing with insurance BS, attorneys, too much paper work and un-reliable patients.

So I needed a change of scenery and attitude. The national park is only 13 miles farther then I drive to my present office except there is no commuter traffic and only one stop light. The drive is absolutely beautiful and takes the same amount of time.

I hope I can stay busy enough there year round to start cutting my time at the Tacoma office. That way my fickle wishy-washy patients will have to 'go or get off the pot' since they will have to compete for appointments soon.

It's been 15 years since I have had a change in work environment. This will be a very low stress job making people on vacation relax and feel great. I will also be up at the park much more often since the spa is a one minute drive to the park entrance. It will be great to share some inside tips to the guests there about hikes and places to see. I have hiked and camped there since I was four y/o. And in 1983 my cousin and I climbed it.

StormKing Spa link

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Brent, I am green with envy.

What a wonderful chance to get out of the rat race.

I really do hope this works out well for you and is certainly too good an opportunity to not give it a go.

What a wonderful opportunity, Brent!!!
It looks gorgeous. What I wouldn't give to work in such surroundings!...

T

I do hope it does work or even kind of works since it's such a polar opposite of what I am doing right now. And as of now the three therapists are all forty something in age. They just got tired of dealing with immaturity and irresponsibility.

Debra reminded me of the day back in school that it snowed and her and I were the only ones that made it in. And we also happened to be the two students that lived the farthest away. And she remembered how punctual I was at making the classes. So 18 yrs later it comes back to me and is a great lesson to me, my daughter and others around me that responsibility has it's rewards. Even if it takes 18 years.

Yes, I am a great believer in the what goes around comes around theory.

You've worked hard and now your getting the reward.

One way to instantly stir my husband is to suggest that he is lucky to have achieved as much as he has.

He becomes almost incoherent and be almost spluttering, "but I've worked between 10 and 18 hours a day for 40 years - how is this luck?"

Now you guys know where to stay if you come visit Western WA. Each cabin has a container of horse oats for the deer. They will be right on the decks waiting for you to hand feed them. The cedar saunas have glass doors that face Goat Creek. The creek is more a series of cascading waterfalls and in the winter with the snow it's a very cool experience to sit in there and watch and listen to the creek just below. And of course the only thing you need to take in with you is a bottle of wine and couple glasses.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The view from the saunas.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That is a great opportunity! And so beautiful! Did I get you right that your other job is in Tacoma, WA? My childhood best friend lives in Tacoma, where she moved after getting married. I was her maid of honor and best friend until my migraines got between us; she just couldn't handle dealing with seeing me go through all the pain, and it seemed that she was asking me to support her struggles in understanding what I myself was going through, something I just didn't have the energy to do, since I was so busy trying to support myself!

Yes I do work in Tacoma which is about 30 mi. northeast of where I live.

So she was stressing out about your migs and then asking you to support her? That sounds like a good mess to stay far away from for sure.

It's sad how many friends I've lost over the last 12 years because of the migraines. I did get back in touch with the aforementioned friend over Facebook, but we're not the friends we once were. I've lost friends because they can't handle the fact that I might not always be able to keep my committed schedules due to a migraine attack. And I've lost friends who want to do active things and can't understand that with a constant migraine, I have to do calm things. Plus, it's hard to get out of the house very much due to the pain, so I've lost more from inertia. But the worst was my former best friend who couldn't handle my migraines and expected answers from me.

"Gosh, Vicki, I just don't know. I JUST DON'T KNOW! It seems so unfair. I can't imagine going through what you do." And so on. What am I supposed to say to that? Her parents live a block and a half away from me, which is how we grew so close as children, but I haven't seen her when she has been down here in L.A. visiting her parents, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that either. She talks as if she has changed, at least some, but do I try to suggest that we get together when she is around? Not yet.

Way, way cool Brent. I can only think this will be a great experience. Looks like a place anyone would want to visit! Congratulations!

The domino of events that lead me to this new job is a powerful example of destiny for me and Debra.


I decided to get back into canoeing this summer so my daughter and I would have an activity we both enjoy.

Which lead to......

Finding the South Sound Kayaking Club's website. I wanted to find some good places to go with info that is pertinent to canoeing/kayaking. But I could not find out on the site how to join. But the site had a FaceBook link.

Which lead to.......

Going to the FB link and contacting Becky the administrator of their page. I noticed on Becky's FB profile she was a massage therapist in Olympia. So for several weeks we PM'd each other back and forth about our jobs and kayaking. Becky also worked several days a week at Storm King as the main therapist.

which lead to......

Her friend Debra noticing me commenting on one of her posts. Debra and I went to massage school together and were study partners. She saw on my FB profile I was still working in massage therapy. We have been out of contact for 18 years. Debra desperately needed an older and more dependable therapist and all the ads she place in the newspaper were not getting any results. My mother-in-law even remembers seeing the ad but didn't think I would be interested and never told me.

Which lead to....

Her contacting me and catching up on all that has happened over the 18 yrs since we were in school. Two days later her main therapist told Debra she had to cut back working there and spend more time at her own clinic. Now Debra was even more desperate with Leena leaving.

Which lead to.....

Debra asking me if I was interested in working at Storm King. This happened one week after I had a severe crisis about whether I should stay much longer at my current clinic. I even put in an application to a local hardware store and the manager has known me for over 20 years as a regular customer. He told me I would be called when the next position opened.

So somebody somewhere really wants me to stay in the profession. It would have taken something very special and unique to have kept me from taking the hardware store job when it came up.

And that special and unique job came along right at the exact time it needed to. Most importantly I will still work at my regular clinic so I did not have to make a big decision. The work at Storm King is whatever I want to do with no hour or day required. I will have a lot of flex between the two places.

This is all too very weird for me to ignore. And this is the condensed version, there were many more smaller occurrences along the way.

If you took away any of the above occurrences it would probably would never have happened. Or maybe it still would have...(Twilight Zone music)

Yep. That's life - do-do, do-do

What a great concurrence of events! I'm so happy you got the job!

I always thought that if you changed the Lattitude, it changed the attitude, at least that is what the beer commercial says. Either way, I think I could get used to a job like that very quickly. Good luck in your new endeavor.

Hal

That sounds like a wonderful opportunity. It's a bit strange how the most inconsequential thing can led to something completely unexpected.

Life is wonderful that way.

Awesome. What a wonderful turn of events. Best of luck.