Serenity Now!!

Writing is a good tool for amping up your self awareness.  One of the things I have become more aware of in the first week of blogging is that as i reflect on events many bizarre pop culture references play out in my head and become disturbingly and inseparably tied into the memory.  I am going to be a nightmare of a patient if I ever get old and forgetful, because instead of telling the same old story to the nurses over and over about what my typical workday was like, I'll probably do a montage of random television moments that make sense to absolutely nobody except for me!

I realized this as I was getting ready to write about Saturday's trip to the spa with my friend Eileen.  Working in a hospital is always a stressful environment.  Now add in the pressures and challenges of working in a hospital under the remote settings of island life -- when replacement parts, replacement staff and random supplies have to make a huge journey and jump through a countless series of hoops before they make their way to your workplace.  You end up short staffed, short on supplies, and grasping the short end of the stick with no way of knowing when you will be rescued by a FedEx delivery (FedEx doesn't always realize that Bermuda is NOT in Bahrain which is where they sent our stuff last time...i told you, location, location, location!).  I would say Bermuda runs on island time, but it's different than that.  I call it sweeeeeet time, because it seems like taking one's sweet time is more socially acceptable in Bermuda than North American.  Just need to go into the video store, pick out a rental and check it out?  No problem.  Your husband can just stop the car in the street -- not the empty parking slot but the street -- and people can drive around the parked car in the road while you do this, no worries.  See you buddy driving down the street towards you?  No problem, you can both stop and block traffic in both directions while you have a little catchup.  Sweet time has a directly proportional mathematical correlation to expat sense of urgency.  And without fail, the more stressed out something makes me, the longer sweet time is extended.  Quite often, my work day can be quickly summed up by the short Seinfeld clip in the link below.  To be fair, this also applied to my work days in Canada, but the reason was not sweet time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP4TZjg3HF0

One of my favorite ways to destress is when one of us girls calls "Spa Day!"  I know I come across as a diva in these blogs, but it was not always so.  I had survived for many years before a coworker in Edmonton told convinced me that a pedicure was a must have as a simple and essential treat to self.  I decided to give it a try.  Eventually even got a french manicure and gel nail-claws, but let me tell you that didn't go so well with my lifestyle...lost 2 on the side of an airplane getting ready to do a skydive (no i wasn't trying to not jump, they got caught on exit) and another one in the spokes of a spinning bike tire inspecting my bike after a lap at a race (Pat maintains that I used one to give myself a flat tire to get out of a training ride once).  But the spa never really caught until I visited Jim and Regina Power in Newfoundland and got a cool oxygen facial in a converted monastery turned spa.  When I found myself in Bermuda with a little more money in my pocket, I confess to becoming a bit of a spa junkie.  Bermuda has many spas, I have tried most but the one I take all of my guests to is my favorite -- La Serena at the Reefs.  And because it's me, whenever I think La Serena, my head screams out "Serenity Now!!!" which relates the above link an awful lot.  It's not that I was a big Seinfeld fan...but somehow all of these references have made it into my brain.  It's surprising.  Like going to see "The Beatles -- Love" by Cirque du Soleil and realizing that you already know all of the words to 26 songs you couldn't have named 2 hours earlier.  For those of you not familiar with "Serenity Now" here's another little clip to catch you up to speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_9MglZrhs

I know that Tonya, Tanya, Leanne, Barbara, Eileen, Siobhan, Gers, Cherie, and Meg have all enjoyed a great day or few at La Serena.  So what is it that makes La Serena so great?  To start with there is the view -- you can lounge in lovely chairs with a herbal tea or water with lemon, lime, cucumber, or orange slices.  There is fruit to munch on.  Coffee can be requested.  Wine and champagne and lunch ordered if you wish.  All while you gaze out over the pool area and out at the vast blue ocean that the lounge area overlooks.  You can watch the occasional kayaker or paddleboarder go by, see longtails fly by, and if you are really lucky you might spot a whale as they have been seen along the south shore in the spring.

Barbara at the peaceful herbal tea bar at La Serena
 



Tonya modelling the Reefs "spa wear spring collection"

The pedicure room is great -- room for 3 to sit together in massage chairs while your feet get the luxury treatment, and many fabulous other treatments to choose from in private treatment rooms.  The product line used at La Serena is Elemis, a British cosmetic line that specializes in a very famous and pricey "Marine Cream."  The first time I tried the Pro-Collagen facial I was astounded by how many compliments I got over work the next several days.  I now use several Elemis products that are just too good to save until spa day (it's not sold in Canada but if you are in Nordstrom's in the states treat yourself).  There are several other facials that are fabulous, and a variety of scrubs, wraps, and massages. 

Barbara enjoying the view

 

A normal person would probably enjoy a soothing massage with aromatherapy and gentle kneading.  I however, consistently go back to Greg.  I generally wonder about my sanity when I'm gripping the massage table with all 10 fingernails even before he says (with a distinct European accent) "oh no, i didn't want to do this but i must, it will be very painful."  He does know how to improve a sports injury tho!  I am sure that he could do wonders in a relaxing massage, but i require a little abuse to work out all that work induced tension!  The massage is also always filled with entertaining dialogue, sometimes in conversation, sometimes just in mutterings like "you're a nice person but your body is a mess, i need to call your boss."  One day he asked how often i went to the gym and at that time it was 5 days a week -- his response was to cheerfully encourage me to not cause myself stress about trying to fit an image, everyone is different and some people are meant to be shaped like little bears.  Fortunately my shoulder muscles were all knotted up and that stopped my head from spinning the full 180 degrees in a scene straight out of "The Exorcist."  I laugh whenever I think about it, but the bottom line is that he is a great therapist and a great person and I love every session...he is definitely recommended as one of my Bermuda Bests!  I can also say that absolutely every person that I have dealt with at La Serena excels at customer service -- we always feel at home, there have never been any issues in all of our visits, and Alette, Nathalie, and Fiona are also excellent therapists with years of experience and training with the Elemis products.  You cannot go wrong with time spent at La Serena.

So when life turns into a Seinfeld montage -- do La Serena now!