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Reflections
is published quarterly by Dr. Alexander R. Lees & Associates Inc.
Please contact us
if you would like to start receiving this free newsletter. A year has passed since we left Vancouver, and many have written to inquire about our plans for the future. Allow me to back up a bit, and return to an evening sitting in front of a fire, in our living room in Ocean Park. Berit, ever the vigilant, astute one, said, "I think you need a break." Being male, and sensing a chink in the armour, I immediately rallied and tried shifting to the bantam rooster persona. Very difficult to do sprawled comfortably on a couch, sipping wine and watching the dancing flames with music in the background. Very difficult. So, I didn't bother. Now, somewhere along the line, probably through osmosis, she'd picked up the essence of a reframe. "You need a break" shifted subtly into "Let's play hooky," and as I remembered the nicest memories of school being just that, here we are, in "Hookyland." We live in an old house in the mountains, and delight in watching the weather come over the ridge, only to be replaced with blue skies, and magnificent sunsets. But very little hooky. Somehow, the word got around, and I see the occasional client, do workshops, and have some contractual obligations to complete in Denmark, England and Australia. I'm almost beginning to think this playing hooky business is hard work. Almost. However, we all have a philosophy about life, and, that personal philosophy contains a values system. Granted, these values vary, with each individual, but high on our list is having fun. And that's exactly what we are doing. Some ask, "Don't you have your ups and downs?" Well, of course we do. But it's easy to get past the downs when you are returning to the alternative, having fun. We once tried "coping with life," another time we tried "just get through it." Neither worked out very well, so we switched it to having fun. Whoops. The vigilant one, now peering over my shoulder, just reminded me that the essence of this article is to respond to the queries about our plans, not a trip down memory lane. So, let's get back to that. We will fulfill our commitments to the people that we have contracted with. That will take us well into 1998, and once fulfilled, we can both sit down and re-evaluate things. However, thanks to several faxes and letters from home (conspiracy?) suggesting that since we are traveling to "distant lands" to teach, why not add Vancouver to the list, I must admit the idea has possibilities, and intrigues us. So, please keep those faxes and letters coming. We really appreciate hearing from you and together maybe we can come up with a "plan" for a visit home. -Dr. Alexander R. Lees
In the ancient quarter of Pontehos, Madrid, a most curious "market" has been established. Valuable objects, including jewellery, which were "liberated" as a result of robberies carried out in the past few months, are on display. The idea is that the original owners have the chance to recognize and claim their property. Human beings do have a few quirks, and one of them seems to be, that more than one person can claim ownership of a particular object. Now when this happens, obviously it can be extremely difficult to determine who, in fact, is the rightful owner. In cases like this (and there have been more than a few), and when no one claims them, the objects revert back to the thief, on the peculiar understanding that since no proof can be produced, the object ought and does, belong to the "possessor." He or she, then hightail it to pastures new, to sell off their now legitimate bits and pieces. Does it not strike you that somehow this has gone a bit weird? How on earth can a thief ever be entitled to own something he stole? From the Costa Blanca News
Those of
us who spend most of the day behind a desk
Sticking
your neck out 980
Many
thanks for this from: Dave Marshall, Competa, Andalucia, Spain A Healing Holiday in Spain I read somewhere that a mind once stretched can never return to its former size. After my experiences in Spain I really appreciate what this means. "Come to Spain," they said. A Healing Holiday in Spain. Healing -- yes, I could use some of that. A holiday - you bet. And Spain! The thoughts of Flamenco dancers, gypsies and the blue Mediterranean flooded my mind. "DO IT," said that little voice in my head. (Obviously that little voice was more into growth than I.) "BUT," said I. "I'm a forty-something housewife. I have three children. I can't afford it. I can't travel by myself. I can't go to Spain!" " DO IT!!!!" said that voice again, and this time I listened! It was time for the stretch to begin. For one who has never traveled far from home, any experience along those lines is somewhat of a jolt, and my host and hostess were very sensitive to this fact. They eased me slowly into the Spanish way of life by taking me for a stroll along the sea - complete with a stop for cafe con leche. Now this I could handle! Day three - and fully indoctrinated into Spanish life - we packed our bags and headed to Granada to see the Alhambra. Now if you are going to Spain, you are going to see a lot of old castles - and if you are going to see an old castle - the Alhambra is the one to see. Our tour to Granada also included a short side trip to the "Arab Quarter" for a brief (two hour) stroll through the side streets while my host and hostess (totally lost) taught me the finer points of exploring (now where the heck did that cab driver let us off?) an unknown town! The next day we were off to Nerja on the coast for a taste of the blue Mediterranean and another stroll through the streets, (Berit baled out on this one) and a huge cave before they introduced me to the real Spain. Real Spain took the form of a little village by the name of Sedella, which is nestled in the mountains. It has a population of around 400 people who farm the land with mules and very basic equipment. Here we met Pepe Zero, whose command of the English language consisted of three words - friend, liar and similar! Pepe was in mourning because his mule had fallen over a cliff and broken her neck. (When we met Pepe he was nursing his pain at the local drinking establishment.) It was in Sedella that I had my first riding lesson -- without benefit of saddle - on the back of a beautiful horse, ridden by a handsome Spaniard, who spoke no English. (For those of you who see the video - be warned - this is not a pretty picture.) We departed to the words of my host, "Relax Fran - this is another experience!" Nice guy!!! Having experienced enough adventures of life on the road with host and hostess, we returned to Campello for what I thought would be some relaxation and sunshine. They, however had other surprises planned! Before my trip I had heard wonderful reports of the tropical storms over the Mediterranean. They sounded so incredible that I asked if they could possibly arrange for one during my visit. I now fully believe that you get what you wish for, and I must apologize to the people of Alicante for the worst storm they've had in 15 years! It is only
on my return to Canada that I realize how much my experiences in Spain
have impacted my day to day life. After spending two weeks in an environment
where every thing is new and different, I find myself looking for new
things to try and new ways of enjoying and appreciating the things I already
have. I didn't think I could ever take a trip like that by myself. I now
know that if I want something enough, I can find a way to make it happen.
In the words of my hostess, "You can get what you wish for
Fran - remember the storm?"
Well, our year is up and the question is, "Are we going to stay in Spain, or come home?" The answer is, "We don't know." It's funny how things happen. In our case, several things seemed to happen all at once. We were coming to the tail end of summer and looking forward to a cooler time in September, and a visit from Fran Anderson (our Canadian co-ordinator and very good friend). Just before Fran arrived we were invited to Australia for Christmas. There are a group of people who are interested in Alex teaching clinical hypnotherapy, so our trip will be both business and pleasure. The day before Fran arrived, Alex was asked to go to England four times in 1998 to present his seminar on the Mind/Body Connection. The day after Fran arrived, a friend here in Spain phoned to say that there is an ad in the paper for a finca for rent. A finca is an old country house and one is very lucky to find one for rent. So we put Fran in the car and drove up into the mountains. We were just going to look, and we also wanted to show Fran some of the beautiful countryside. After meeting the owner on the main road, we traveled for approx. 2.5 km into the countryside. The views were breathtaking. The valley is ringed by mountains with towns and villages dotting the landscape and views to the Mediterranean. We finally came upon a little village called "Xines," pronounced "Chiness." The house was in the middle of the village, next to the chapel, surrounded by a dozen or so houses and a schoolhouse. Xines is known as the "lost village" because most of the people have moved to the big cities and only come back to the village for summer holidays. We go inside and all of us are stunned into silence. The house is terrific. It is over 100 years old and has 16 foot ceilings, spacious rooms, with a very large terrace looking out at the mountains. Alex, Fran and I are all agreeing that we have found our "perfect little corner of Spain." We made up our mind right then and there. We're moving, again! The next day the three of us drove to Granada and had a mini holiday within Fran's big holiday. We had a wonderful time and before we knew it, the time had come for Fran to go home. Goodbyes were said amongst the tears and promises from Fran to return to Spain. Alex and I also promised that we would figure out a way to come "home to Canada" for a visit in 1998. Before any decision is made about staying in Spain, we have to see, hear and feel Canada again, especially our friends, family and colleagues. Between Australia and presenting seminars in Europe, we are going to figure out a way to include Canada in our travels. We miss you, and will keep you posted as "new events" happen. So, it seems that we are calling Spain "home" for the time being. We have been in the finca for a month now, and it is wonderful. I'm sitting in front of a lovely warm fire (it's 18 degrees C outside, that's cool to us!) looking outside at the incredible colors in the mountains and the sky, and feeling very fortunate to be living this experience called "Spain." P.S. Special
thanks to Fran, for bringing us such good fortune.
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