I love the Thanksgiving holiday! It is the ultimate gathering of the season for me. I like that the focus is on spending time with others and not primarily on gift giving.
One of the things I love about working at LBCA is the daily gatherings that occur. It’s like hosting a party each day, albeit a quiet, calm one. This past month the gatherings were pretty remarkable, showing how deeply connected we are to others whether we live in the same city or not.
Many people who come to the clinic joined POCA (the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture), uniting with others to support the community acupuncture movement. A POCA member from Portland, OR, gifted someone who lives here with a free treatment and another member from Las Cruces, NM sent someone who was vacationing in Long Beach to our clinic in order to sustain her treatment plan.
One day, in a single afternoon, there were three pairs of parents and children napping together. Adult children wanted to share the experience of affordable acupuncture with their parents. It was pretty cool, almost like a bring-your-mother-to-acupuncture day!
Just yesterday, one LBCA regular was having coffee with a friend who was complaining about his back pain. Being right around the corner from us, they booked some appointments and came in to nap together.
LBCA gatherings always show the rich diversity of our city. We have people of all ages, sizes, ethnicity and nationality and I am always amazed how beautiful it is to see a room full of people napping, gathered in the spirit of health and wellbeing.
The holidays are often full of joy and celebration but are also times when people can feel very lonely and isolated. However the season shapes up for you, please know you are always invited to our daily gatherings. They may offer you respite to a busy schedule or be an activity to fill an otherwise empty calendar. We look forward to celebrating with you.