You know how you forget how to have fun if you’ve gone six years without a vacation? I know some people enjoy their work so much they feel as if their lives are a vacation. Maybe you’re one of those people.

Probably not.

Mel and I haven’t had a vacation in over four years. In fact, this picture was taken on our last getaway four years ago, and that was at a medical conference–not a lot of time to play.

And now that I’ve seen first-hand how destructive constant work can be on the human body, I’m determined to find more time to play as soon as our clinic closes at the end of next week.

I told you about that, right? Independent private practices as well as independent hospitals are having their revenue cut to the point they’re being forced to shut down and either begin concierge services–hopefully the wave of the future–or they’re joining with other hospitals who can pay them, because they are not making a wage from the government services. Insurance follows closely behind government by telling the doctors what they can and cannot order for patients. Yes, that’s right, people who have no medical training–who count beans all day–are now directing your medical care. But enough about our little tempest in a teacup. The government forced us out of business. I’m angry for the sake of our patients, who are losing a good doctor.

But we’re moving to a beautiful tiny town near the Rockies where physicians are few, and where they are allowed to practice medicine as they see fit under the protection of the hospitals. The physician Mel will be replacing even did acupuncture. How cool is that? So he no longer has to fight to practice medicine with the good of the patient, and he won’t have to work weekends to keep us afloat while getting paid nothing from the clinic. We can drive an hour or two in any direction and find a lake, a monument, Oregon Trail, and six hours to Yellowstone.

It’s a new adventure, and that’s how we’re looking at it. How about you? Can you find a new adventure to enjoy? Follow a road you’ve never followed, hike a trail you’ve never hiked, read a book genre you’ve never read. Do something different with the small parts of your life. We plan to make the most of this new adventure.