Just a small town Breeze

2 weeks ago, I was sitting amongst 40 of the top massage therapists in my state. Once a year, the American Massage Therapist Association has its Pennsylvania State chapter meeting, where we discuss goals for the next year, the budget, the state of the industry, and perhaps most importantly, we participate in some of the best continued education the industry has to offer.

This particular class, Essentials of Sports Massage for the Lower Body, was taught by two gentlemen with very impressive careers. They talked about their experience with the Pittsburgh marathon, which connected them with athletic teams at a division 1 university, an NHL team, a professional baseball team, and with my favorite NFL team. As I listened, I became green with envy.

I chose to start my career in this small town of Jim Thorpe for a variety of reasons. Often, I’ve had clients say to me that if I were in a more prominent location, if I were in a city, I’d be busy all the time. My envy of the opportunities these instructors had were directly a result of their being in the right place at the right time.

Yes, comparison is the thief of joy, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder where my career would be if I had chosen to move to a larger city. Would I have had the opportunity to slowly develop my skills? Would I be able to create such personal connections with my community and clientele? Would the challenges of keeping the lights on encourage me to seek additional opportunities in education?

All in all, I’m glad I’m a small town practitioner. I love the scenery and the slower lifestyle. Maybe I’m not massaging a linebacker every week, but I get to know you.