music, therapy, and me

Today is the last day of my Spring break, so I am getting myself geared up to return to my daily routine.  I have nine weeks before the next round of medical procedures, so I have nine weeks to get my house ready for visitors. I also have a grocery order to pick up, food to cook and freeze, and a bedroom to clear. I don't want to do anything, but I will. There are definitely places where you can see changes in my environment. I put lots of boxes into recycling from the living room. The desk is still clearer than it was and is ready for some filming. I moved some bookshelves around that allow me to arrange laminating materials and file folders for some creation.  I have done laundry, cleaned the sheets, washed many of the dishes (there are always more to wash, though), read four books, and napped (but only once or twice over the past nine days). I have been shopping outside my house a couple of times. I have spent lots of money on groceries, and I had my annual visit with my fi...

Today has been a challenging day already. Something I ate yesterday did not agree with my intestinal tract, so I am now trying to figure out which new thing (I had three new things yesterday) was the culprit while still trying to maintain a bit of decorum. I just saw that a job that I was invited to apply for, went on an interview, and then was completely ghosted about is open again. I am confused and disgusted about how this job was handled, especially about the ghosting part of it all. To be honest, I would not be able to take the job due to the dismal salary, but I wonder why no one ever interacted with me ever again - not even a "no thank you" letter to close the inquiry. Now, they want other people to go through the process again? At least it means that the other candidate also did not get the job or did not want it. I wonder if they let that person know anything or if they were left hanging the same way I was left hanging. I now have more questions about things than ans...

Today is day seven of nine.  Day six ended up with some progress down here in the office area. I emptied a couple of boxes, moved some shelves around, put things into boxes, and set up my robot vacuum. I also made burritos for breakfast and then just watched television the rest of the day. I bet today's to-do and got-done list will be similar. I have to add getting my trash cans from the curb to the things to do today, but other than that, I have no plans other than making a bit more sense of my home environment.  I have three more bins down here in the office to go through. I have ordered box cutters since I can't find them where I currently shop. I have a yen to make some greeting cards to send to friends. I want to be creating things, but I am struggling to make the time when my environment is not looking clean and clear. So, I will be doing some cleaning and clearing before crafting. This has been an okay break. I have finished some of the tasks on my to-do list. I have ad...

It is the downhill slide from break back to work now. We are over the halfway point, and I am progressing on my quests. One of the benefits to being on the trek back to work is that my brain is wanting to create and is coming up with ideas that I am trying to capture on paper as much as possible. I think I have come up with my workshop idea for the World Congress of Music Therapy next year, but I want to play with the idea a bit before I submit it. It is nice to have some ideas come into my brain at this time. It is exhilarating to get ideas of projects that need to be done and developed. I am watching a YouTuber that I enjoy, Emily Harvey, who has a small sticker business in the United Kingdom. She is currently moving from being a full-time mom and small business owner to working outside her home again in a full-time job in addition to the other things that she does. She is trying to focus on her small business one hour a day in the afternoon to get things done and to be able to have ...

My sister is on the phone with me right now, talking about her morning commute which is significantly changing due to freeway construction. We now talk to and from her job. Today's discussion started with a grumble because of traffic and ended with mutual giggles and jokes about birds. Her break is next week, so she is currently engaged in parent-teacher conferences at the end of each day this week in order to prepare. Her teacher life in general education is somewhat different from mine as a therapist in special education, but there are enough similarities that we can bond over the silly stuff that happens in the world of education these days. We have now arrived at the halfway point of my spring break. We may have some snow flurries later today, but it is currently windy and bright and sunny at my home. I have two hours before I can attempt to go to the library and get some new books. I have read four books from my To Be Read pile, so I feel like I can go get some other books wit...

Overwhelmed. It is Tuesday of my spring break, and I have hit my overwhelmed point a couple of days early. I misplaced my planner when I started cleaning down here in the office. I just found it, so I am feeling a bit better about things right now. It's amazing how much I depend on that book. Now that I have found it, I am feeling a bit less overwhelmed.  Egad. When I feel overwhelmed with things, I find that the best thing for me to do is to get busy with chores. Chores tend to be a big part of the overwhelm, so it is best to get things done. Unfortunately, the chores are the source of the overwhelm so the cycle goes around and around. A couple of years ago, I made an index card collage of things that I can do when I am feeling this way. It is a silly little card, but it does help me when I need it. It includes things like reading a book or taking a walk or cleaning a corner. I used to keep it in my journal, but I left it behind a bit ago. I want to put it back in there to remind ...