February 12, 2009: My big effort during the past few days has been to get ready for the next three weeks at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego. I have decided not to take anything that might distract me from being totally involved in the activities there, so I am not taking a laptop or books or CDs. When I have time alone in the evening, I plan to journal.

Also, I’d like to spend more time going to the healing center in my imagination. You know the place, it’s located on the “Lost Coast” in Humbolt County, and when I go there, I start with a soak in the turquoise bathing pool and then proceed to the marble resting table where I receive various healers. I have been away from that place for the past few weeks, and I miss it. My excuse is that I have been busy just living my life. However, the healing center has given me good inspiration, and it will be exciting to visit there more often.

With no access to a computer, the blog will cease for three weeks. When I return from Optimal Health, some of my journaling will be poured into the blog. I am looking forward to the time away from work and my usual routine simply because taking a break can be good. It’s only been five and a half months since I had my hip replacement and found out about my cancer diagnosis. Three of those months were swamped with chemo treatments and recovering from same. Actually, I am still recovering from same. But the point is that I’ve been very focused on aggressive treatments and enduring their impact on me.

In many ways, I’m not sure what to expect at Optimum Health, because I’ve never been there. I do know that I feel receptive to the diet and exercise regimens they talk about on their web site. Simply for the relaxation and diet and exercise I think it will be a timely experience for me. I am reasonably recovered from chemo, and I feel an incentive to be there. At this point that’s the most I can bring to the experience: having a powerful incentive to be there.