Liberty Letters
After saying good-bye to his love, the Chinese Medical Practitioner is taking his Liberty
Saturday, last night aboard Solstice my Love – Chapter Eight
Cabin 3581 Time 2235
At 3.30 in the afternoon I finished with my last patient aboard the Solstice. Christiana, who cruises with her husband and son. Christiana Einhorn is a very attractive woman at her late fifties, shapely and blonde. On the third session of the five I found out that her father was a Jew who had converted to Christianity because of his love for her beautiful and very Catholic mother. So her mother was able to rescue her father from the Gestapo when the Germans occupied Luxembourg. Luxembourg covers an area of 58 km at the widest point with a length of 90 km. It has 400 thousand inhabitants of which 200 thousand are foreign workers. Christiana said she has relatives in Israel on her father’s side. I did not ask if Einhorn (Unicorn) is her last name due to marriage or was from her father. This is a name used by Jews and Christians alike.
Within four days of last week’s peak and after a sequence of correspondence with the boss in Miami, the decision was made to leave Dana onboard, to bring a replacement for me and to transfer me to another ship in which I will act as a sole practitioner. I received this decision with mixed feelings but refrained from feeling a victim and respected the boss and his decision.
This was later proven to be a wrong administrative decision, as will be evident in my writings from the deck of the Liberty.
From the Wednesday, when I finally found out where I am going, to the following Sunday I was packing up, say goodbye to people and being concerned with the continued success of Chinese Medicine aboard the Solstice after I am gone. I had invested here all my heart and all my energy so that Acupuncture would succeed and prosper. I didn’t want to see it all go down the drain. Despite working without a lot of desire and with most of the new patients being referred to Dana as a gesture on behalf of the sisterhood and the Irish desk, I managed to finish the week well enough although I carried only 34 treatments. It’s an anti-climax in relation to the high record of last week where we had 126 treatments. That works out at 18 patients on average every one of the seven days of cruise! This average is a bit misleading as there are two sea days and five port days when the guests disembark, including the day of Embarkation during which work can only be done in the late evening. This means that the average for each of the four days of actual treatment time came to 30 per day…
I said goodbye to all the senior officers with whom I worked such as Michelle the OMM (On Board marketing manager): “You are going to make much dough on the Liberty, this ship is amazing,” Lutz (sous chef) “Take it easy mate”, Sadok the Tunisian, “As I can’t buy the herbs that you prescribed for me, I’ve sent all the money I received on Monday to the family back home “, Rob the black musician:” Don’t worry Bro, you’ll be good, let’s Chill Out, come hear us give top jazz tonight “, and I even said goodbye to the Captain whom I met walking down the stairs: “Are you leaving already? I planned to come to you for the start of Easter, on Monday.”
In the morning staff meeting, like any sea day starting at 0730, Joanna mentioned that I was leaving and as this is the last day of the cruise she suggested I see them all off at the 2100 meeting. I preferred to say goodbye in person to those I wanted to part with during the day and skip the meeting tonight. You know how is the last night before you are moving …
I received from Tyson a big hug and also a lot of warmth and support from some of the girls at the spa. Nikisha from Jamaica – a manicurist, nail builder and an amazing artist – “Yaa man you don’t need all that nonsense … Good luck in the Liberty and forget about all the petty people here”. Nazel the Filipino wiped a tear of emotion, Michelle from whom I had the only massage at the spa: “Get them Tiger, Fly Birdy Fly and have a lots of luck”, and of course the spa manager Joanna: “I worked with many Acupuncturists along my seven years with the company – I’ve never seen any of them at your level – so sorry you’re leaving … big brother “. I replied that my sorrow is mainly because I know we could be a great team together, and complimented her on the human management savvy she has imparted since she arrived only two weeks ago.
The same empathy came from Nadine the delicate massage therapist from Germany who referred Kim to me. Kim, 52, decided to take a fiver but later added 2 treatments to complete 7. Kim owns a company selling vehicles, which she took over after her first husband died. This was 8 years ago and now she employs 80 workers.
Kim really reminded me of a French – Canadian lady whom I had treated a few months earlier. L. owned a family firm with a thriving cave mining moss to serve as a breeding ground for mushroom growers farmers worldwide. It is a business founded by her father. She bought it from him and her brothers and has run it and her husband very successfully. As happens often in these situations she lost a lot of feminine essence in the process. She was treated successfully and followed my suggestions to emphasize her femininity.
Kim was on the cruise with her second husband and adopted daughter. With her second husband Kim has a relationship that is quite problematic. Catherine (11, Russia), suffers from hyperactivity and uses very heavy drugs, enabling her to concentrate on studies but damaging her appetite so she eats late at night … I tried to help Kim at many levels including alternative child counseling for Catherine. We are not allowed to treat children under 16 with Acupuncture and so I offered a short and intuitive consultation and recommended taking “Tranquility”, which is how Xiao Yao San is called here. It will hopefully gradually replace the drugs to calm the liver and strengthen the child’s digestive system. I urged Kim to continue both her treatments and her daughter’s with a Chinese Medical practitioner at home.
I could clearly see that the main problem with Kim was a lack of self-esteem. This led her to make serious mistakes in her personal life. Besides acupuncture, nutrition and herbs all I could do was to cultivate and further emphasize her hidden femininity.
I chose to refer her to Nazel so he will design her hair. She had never thought of such self-care action until I raised the idea. During a series of intensive daily therapy, as happen on Cruise ships, patients trust me and my recommendations. The extremely sensitive Nazel did a great job without me telling him anything. Grateful Kim felt obliged to buy many retail hair products from Nazel to use at home. It was hard to recognize her when she came out of the Salon of Nazel, she shone and beamed in her glamorous femininity and smiled happily all over the ship…
A woman must feel desired. An undesired woman becomes bitter and cynical and this does not allow for movement or life. This is true even in cases of infertility. In my experience I have noticed that there are women who cannot conceive when they are full of resentment and bitterness. Maybe because there is no space …
Once again “The Church Of Feel Good” acquired a new believer. Kim might have taken with her a lot of renewed self-esteem and peacefulness and perhaps even new ways to deal with the complications of her life. She thanked me warmly at the end of the seventh treatment.
These are the kind of moments that give each practitioner the strength to give. Only the gods can give all the time without getting anything back.
Joan 65 was stricken with Arthritis in her hands and scarred all over from innumerable surgeries. At the end of the quintet she was able to hold the handle of a cup of coffee in the morning – something she could not do for very many months. Her fingers and her bones were deformed and curved from the arthritis and lost their flexibility. This is the last stage of Arthritis when the Kidneys’ energy is affected. She was all excited at the temporary victory over her body that had closed in on her. A new horizon of hope opened for her after the introduction of Chinese Medicine with its natural solutions.
In the e-mail in which he had announced the transfer, my boss suggested that I call him during the weekend. I took advantage of global Skype and talked a long time. Maybe he was afraid I would break down after last week’s stunning climax and the subsequent transfer. He was very kind and let me know what is happening in the Liberty regarding Acupuncture. It turned out that I was replacing a Portuguese lady therapist and that her English was not so good, so she was unable to present seminars or to produce significant income. She was transferred to San Juan Puerto Rico, to a cruise ship for Spanish speakers.
I was surprised that Martin had not contacted me. Weeks later when I met Martin at Cozumel Island in Mexico, our third and final meeting, I discovered why it was so.
I’m going to take all the lessons and insights learned aboard the Solstice and plan with the spa manager (for a change, this time it would be a man named Yoan) how acupuncture on the Liberty would become a generator of revenue for all of the spa via a conscious process of mutual referrals, as I had started with Nazel.
I would like to come to the rescue or come as a savior to the “scorched earth” on the Liberty. It might become a garden with my help. Such a situation can only get better and I’m an expert in identifying what is missing and incomplete. The Solstice was an excellent school for me. During my work aboard I did a lot of adjustments to my many years of work on land. These adjustments are required to work at sea in the service of a tough commercial U.S. company. I do not envy the guy who replaces me. I was told that it is a man. He’ll have to deal with both a stressed partner and with last week’s record that will forever be thrown in his face.
To facilitate an easy landing for him I left a letter in my cabin explaining where all the things were that he needed in his first days onboard. I had given my personal email address with an invitation for him to consult with me if he feels any need. And he indeed contacted me later.
I spoke with Joanna to take care of the guy the first few days and I made everyone I could from the team aware that they should help him at first. I do not know him personally. I look at things as a mission for spreading good and in my heart I wish them both, Dana too, much success and cooperation. As for Dana, maybe someday she’ll understand she received from me a huge fishing rod, after so many fish. Dana did not exchange more than a few words with me this week. When I learned of the transfer I told her jokingly, cowboy style: “The Solstice is not big enough for both of us, so I’m going to a bigger ship” …
As for the Liberty, we will cruise again for seven days but in the Western Caribbean. Route: Miami – Costa Maya, Mexico – Belize – Cozumel, Mexico – Miami. Every second week we will land in Tahiti and Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Except for Labadie in Tahiti all other places are new to me. It’s amazing but despite all my years in California I have never had an urge to cross the border into Mexico.
Remember the couple Ivan and Judith Sheinbaum? He was wounded in the shoulder in the War of Independence, and returned to South Africa. Judith is a descended from a family from Jerusalem. Both were treated aboard. I am reminded that they built a guesthouse on the isolated island in Belize. Maybe I’ll see them in Xanadu. Their business card is still with me.
Wow Solstice, how I love this ship! In the evening, after the last treatment with Christiana, I ascended in the glass elevator to deck 15, which is the upper deck. On the real grass covered golf course was the wedding of Marcus Katz, at sunset with fireworks. Even now I discovered new things such as an entire area with glass blowing craftsmen with a furnace. It may sound strange but I was beginning to miss this ship while I was still on board …
At six in the morning begins the release process. It involves the completion of various tasks according to a travel form, followed by customs check and passport control in Fort Lauderdale, a trip to Miami port with all my personal gear and a climb aboard Liberty of the Seas. This ship belongs to Royal Caribbean the mother company of Celebrity and used to be the largest in the world until the monstrous Oasis of the Seas was launched. The Liberty is larger than the Solstice but the Solstice is my first love and a first love one never forgets …
Effi Kfir L. Ac
A little sad and a little excited…
10 hours from Fort Lauderdale and the end of my last cruise onboard the Solstice…
*****
This ends the 8 chapters series under the title of: “Solstice My Love”.
From now on look out for: “Liberty my Darling” (a new Reality Series…)
*****
About the Author
Effi Kfir is a specialist in Chinese Medicine with over 20 years experience specializing in the areas of Pain, Headache, Backache, Digestive problems, Stress reduction, Weight gain, Respiratory problems, Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Fertility. He is an Acupuncturist and Herbalist licensed by the State Board of California and 30 other states in the U.S. He completed a specialized practice in 3 hospitals in China and Japan and lectured at Bar Ilan University in several Doctoral courses. He also worked at MALRAM in the complementary medicine unit at Ichilov hospital. During 2010 and until his return to Tel Aviv in April 2011, Kfir worked as a Chinese Medicine specialist aboard 3 American Cruise Ships (Solstice, Liberty of the Seas and The Summit) in North America and the Caribbean. He treated members of the staff, crew and guests from over 70 different nationalities, he successfully treated many conditions and was consistently ranked among the top performers in the Acupuncture area. His website www.kfir.net provides information on some very important syndromes treated by Chinese Medicine, Kfir’s two published text-books, and some useful health tips. Kfir’s clinic is located in the heart of Tel Aviv. for appointments please call: 03-5225510 or 054-4804538
Andrew McKellips Liberty Letters Scene 6A.wmv
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