It is September 5th and it has been approximately one year since I moved my massage practice from Seattle, WA to Priest Lake, ID. When I first moved to Priest
Lake the time was spent recovering from the high speed of caffeinated
Seattle, soaking in vitamin D for my deficient body and repairing a
cabin that had sat unused for 10 years. Everything moved so
differently it was hard to find a daily rhythm and seasonal routine.
Moving into the winter of 2011-12, it was a welcome quiet and serene
atmosphere up at Priest Lake. Mostly it was enjoyable but there was
an aura of depression that permeated the air. I couldn’t quite grasp
what it was until now. The manic season of summer is balanced by the
depressed season of winter. People make hay when the sun shines
around here.
The rhythm of Priest Lake is the life and times of a seasonal resort community. The high season is summer, and according to the rules of the vacationer’s up at Priest Lake
summer is over. People are pulling their boats out of the water and
readying them for winter and closing up their cabins. For the local
residents of Priest Lake, now is the time to catch up on much needed
rest, play and preparation for the winter. Fall is the time when the
local residents have a minute to breathe after the mania of the
summer. Business owners and employees alike have worked 16 hours a
day, seven days a week since July 4th without a day off.
The combination has depleted the body and spirit but added to the
purse. The high energy of the summer still permeates the air and
there is a feeling of getting things done for the winter. Winterizing
is what the vacationer’s call this process. For the residents and
business owner’s at Priest Lake, winterizing means something
completely different.
First and foremost it means taking a short breather and recovering from the manic pace set all throughout the summer. Part of this includes getting out on the lake or into the
woods for a hike because it was too busy in order to do so during the
high season of summer. Or it means taking care of the injuries that
have accumulated over the summer from long hours of hard work and
play with little sleep.
Secondly it means bust a move and get some outdoor projects completed before the snow hits in 2-3 months. This may include getting cords of wood in order to stay warm for the
winter or repairing any fixtures that fell astray during the manic
summer season.
Thirdly it means implement a marketing campaign to generate new business for next year’s summer and to generate more business for the slower fall and winter season. It
also means collect unemployment for the seasonal worker and wait till
the next busy season comes around with people who have money to
spend.
For those of us who are established or who are planners, the plan is already in place. New marketing campaigns have already been implemented and some of the work has
already been accomplished. For those of us who are not planners it
is time to hustle and get it going!
Whew! It sure is hard to find a moment to relax up here at the lake. Thank goodness it so dang pretty that you can’t help but feel relaxed while you look out the
window at the lake, mountains and wildlife while at work.