I met Massage & Bodywork columnist Barb Frye once in person, at a massage conference, in 2009. Her BFF Diana Thompson (who’s also contributed widely to Massage & Bodywork) introduced us and we agreed to work together. Barb is as Diana promised: sharp, witty, sarcastic, and delightful.
Barb loves to taunt me with offers of a cup of Swiss hot chocolate—“the best ever.” But she lives in Switzerland. Fat chance my path would take me from Colorado to her tiny village outside Lucerne.
Imagine my surprise when my parents invited me on a European river cruise and the last port was in Switzerland with an option to venture to Lucerne. Voilà!
Of course, our cruise was wonderful—full of adventure from the winding stairs of a windmill in Holland to a pub crawl in Heidelberg. At the end, we were tired, but decided to hop a train to visit Barb. Besides, she’d promised hot chocolate.    
Winding through the Swiss countryside, we were enchanted. Certainly, the fictional character Heidi would be around the next corner with her goatherd, grandfather, and golden braids. The fields were so pristine; there must have been gnomes trimming every blade of grass, every tree.
Dapper and keen as always, Barb met our trio at the train station and took us on a walking tour of the village Rapperswil—from its ancient Capuchin monastery, past a field full of reindeer (yes!), down cobbled streets, straight to the corner coffee house and a mug brimming with (tada!) hot Swiss cocoa.
We talked about her career—a blend of practicing, teaching, perfecting, and writing about bodywork. I loved hearing how living in Switzerland was inspiring her other love—black and white photography.
Cozy on the return train, I marveled at how absolutely perfect the day was. What magic I would have lost had we not taken this side trip: how I’d have missed seeing the dairy cows traversing the perfectly manicured slopes (yes, they proudly wear bells); and how I would have missed carrying home so much inspiration and creativity thanks to Barb.
Have you had an adventure lately? Do you know when to say yes (or no) at the right time? Does your bodywork career fuel your spirit? Do you have people who inspire you and connect you with other amazing people? I hope all your answers are yes.

To read this article in our digital issue, click here.