Resistance Is Futile

Cocktail Hour at 5,709 feet

I have no news: the weather has turned cooler and the guests have left. They committed two acts of insubordination while here: they bought us dinner (a no no-we are the locals) and-get this: they hiked on their own the next day. It took me a while to understand what they were saying, even though they are English speakers. Thomas translated: THEY WANT TO HIKE WITHOUT US. 
At first I thought they meant to jettison Thomas -and I made all sorts of agreeing noises about how I felt their pain, and this time, I would protect them: we would go slowly. But actually, after all this talk about how Thomas was the problem hiker, I had the distinct impression that some people don't like hiking with me. Apparently I have a reputation (within my own family at least) for being a bit crabby when the going gets tough. Whatever. 

We have discovered a new massage technique called Myo-facial release: "is a soft tissue therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle immobility and pain. This alternative medicine therapy aims to relax contracted muscles, improve blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulate the stretch reflex in muscles." We go every other evening. 

Basically a woman in white comes and presses her strong mountain girl fingers into small areas of your body that are very, very tight. It is extremely uncomfortable. Your muscles are tight from a fundamental imbalance-some are always weaker from all this sitting (what sitting I'd like to know?) and perhaps they are trying to protect something. So this lady comes -Frau Mengele (kidding..not really) comes in and with a HUGE smile and periodic laughter like a crazy person at how tight you are. The part she loves most is how if she just keeps pressing, the muscles eventually give in and relax. It is quite amazing. You feel as if she has stopped pressing. When I asked her if she had, she replied cheerfully: "NEIN! Ich bin nicht so nett" I am not that nice!!!
Anyway, since this blog aims to share teaching moments...it occurred to me on that bed that that is the story of summer in Lech. Do not resist. Do not resist the weather, or the walk, or the offer of food or wine, or the pain of the ice bath or massage. Lech knows best-if you fight it, it will only take longer. Meanwhile, try not to think of your friends in Portofino lounging around getting tan and fat and falling back in love with life. 

Below some photos

Black Power Salute protesting another walk. I did not succeed.

                                                                                                                 Murmel Tier (local animal)

 
Slack lining after a schnapps (that was forced on us; see lesson above vis a vis resistance);