The People in the Haven

True Stories from a Crazy Canadian Self-Help Center

By: Cam Thunder

Narrated by: Cameron Thun

The island complex where these true tales take place is truly a beautiful place on Earth. This island is located off the big island off the coast of British Columbia. You take a small ferry from the main island to the little island. It runs hourly until 10 p.m. (this will come into play in a later story).

The island at the time of these stories had about 500 residents. The self-help complex was run by two homosexual doctors. They were quite a happy couple together. You could not ask for a more relaxing and tranquil place to build a complex to live out your life and help people get better for a living (32 people a month at $3,100 a pop—nice living). It is located in a beautiful bay. During the day, you could go for walks and pick up neat objects on the beach. On the edge of the complex buildings along the beach, there was a hot tub covered by a gazebo. At night it was very peaceful with the waves crashing on the beach. You could also watch the BC ferries and cruise ships passing in the darkness of the night. It was a soul-enriching experience.

The complex consisted of several buildings. One building housed the kitchen and eating area. It also had a bar area with a fully stocked bar. They sometimes would hold retreats there for different companies. After a day of meetings, they would kick back and have a few cocktails. Another building housed a workout and multipurpose room. A third building was for the 9:30 a.m. group meetings. They also used it for workshops and activities.

On the second story of this building was the crow's nest (it overlooked the bay). People would go up there to reflect and have some quiet time. There also were two other buildings that housed the 32 monthly slightly-in-need-of-help people (obviously I was one of the lucky participants). The clients were two to a room, with communal bathrooms. Boys with boys, and girls with girls. Also down near the water toward the end of the bay on the other side of the hot tub were eight cabins you could rent out. A very romantic setting.

The whole place is very picturesque. The place is very clean and well kept. The food was very healthy and good for you. It was run by two guys in love trying to make a difference in the world. What could possibly go wrong with that? Here we go. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I enjoy remembering them.

©2022 Cameron Thun (P)2022 Cameron Thun