Virtual Napa

I was recently laid off from my job as an analyst for a major steel company in the Philadelphia area. While I was given a decent severance package and told that an opportunity would exist for me once the recession abated, I tried to find the silver lining and decided that this ‘misfortune’ in actuality provided me with the opportunity to reevaluate my career goals, to do something that I could really enjoy on my schedule. Massage school offered the perfect opportunity to transition into a new career helping people de-stress and recover from accidents – real tangible output, far more gratifying than the weekly reports I published that may or may not have been read by the managers that assigned me to write them.

Beyond being more personally gratifying than my previous work, my new career in massage therapy offers a great deal more flexibility than my traditional 9 to 5. For one thing, I can now more or less choose my hours as an independent massage therapist (after putting in some time at a local day spa). Beyond that, the demand for massage therapists by stressed individuals and the hospitality and medical industries globally makes it so that my skills are easily transferable to opportunities wherever they might arise, so it is possible for me to earn a living nearly anywhere. And as far as pay is concerned, my new career as a massage therapist offers me higher hourly pay, north of $75/hour, without all the stress of my old job.

Massage school Philadelphia made it possible for me to make sweet lemonade from this recession’s lemons. I highly recommend that anyone looking for a career change investigate a career in massage if a change of pace, a pay raise,  greater flexibility, and the gratification of really helping people directly sounds appealing.

For a civilian like myself it can be quite difficult to even begin to imagine what it’s like to travel to foreign lands knowing there is a chance you might get hurt or worse. It’s an admirable task that our soldiers undertake, and let’s not forget the fact that it’s a choice. We are blessed to live in a country that allows us the CHOICE to fight or not. Many U.S. soldiers are merited for their efforts with army ribbons. But what else can we do back home to honor them in our own special way?

I believe it is our responsibility, as the family and friends back home, to support those that have chosen to defend our land. They are thousands of miles away from their homes, from the ones they love, from their support systems. It is so critical that we remind our soldiers that they are in our thoughts.

Something as simple as writing letters to show our support, or sending care packages, allows our men and women overseas know we care and support their efforts. Or go a step further, and have your friends and family all create homemade tokens of commemoration. Don’t send them, though. Save these tokens for their homecoming. Make their homecoming celebration one to remember by presenting them with all these caring letters, ribbons and artwork, as well as their army medals. It will be such a nice reminder that they have such supportive family and friends who have been thinking of them the entire time they were away.

It’s a difficult transition, going from fighting in a war to living the normal life back home. Help make this switch as easy and painless as possible by demonstrating the pride you feel. It can make such a difference for our returning soldiers! And they’ll surely value your efforts.