Saturday, May 02, 2015

Karen's 20 Years of Living in San Francisco Party

Karen, who I met in TIAPOS, is top middle. On around the clock: Doug, Tom, me, Mush & Barb
xoxoxoxo
Karen should tell you what the celebration's about in her own words:

This month marks the 20th anniversary of me moving from Philly to San Francisco. It all began 21 years ago when my sister was visiting London and she turned on the t.v. She saw a woman with FSH (my form of muscular dystrophy) on the news talking about the benefits of working with a massage therapist named Meir Schneider, who lived in San Francisco. I bought Meir’s book (The Handbook of Self-Healing), I started doing his exercises, I went to a workshop he led in NYC, and then I had a private session with him. I was intrigued. One month later, Meir’s newsletter announced they were looking for a volunteer with FSH to spend 6 months getting free treatment while a grad student at SFSU documented the effectiveness of his treatment method. I couldn’t just leave my job, fly across the country, and start getting massages from this guy I barely knew. Could I? I called Meir and he said, “We pick you. Come on out.” Six weeks later I was in San Francisco, and after 6 months I knew it was where I belonged.

I am a scaredy cat by nature, but I believe in taking baby steps and following the bread crumbs. My sister turned on the t.v. I bought a book. I made a phone call. I bought a plane ticket. I stepped through fear. And now I am home.