Thoughtful Thursday: I Am READY!

I am ready to start heading towards the AMTA National Conference! This has been a long week of anticipation, making lists, and getting myself ready for interactions with lots of music therapists, but I think I have everything I need (once I shut down the laptop and put it in my bag). I have the addresses of TWO In-N-Out Burger locations (I can taste that goodness already). I am ready to go.

Conference is always a good vacation from my job. It is also one of the most stressful times of the year for me, but I continue to go. Lots of people talk about the cost and the inconvenience, but I have always made this interactive time a priority in my life, so I don't see it as an inconvenience. I guess perspective has lots to do with perception.

I don't go on fancy vacations. This is it for traveling to new places for me on a pretty regular basis. In fact, other than going home every so often, I haven't taken a "real" vacation in about 13 years.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do take time off, and I go places, but I don't really travel other than going to conferences or going home for a visit. I don't plan on trips to Belize or other popular destinations for folks my age (I guess - do people my age go to Belize lots?? Seems like it around here). I don't shy away from opportunities to go places, but I also don't insist on going places. I enjoy time at home, and I like being here, so I do the whole "stay-cation" thing most often. 

Conference is my big chance to travel every year, so it is what I save for, plan for, and cherish.

I will be heading out into the cold morning here in just a bit to hop in my car and make my way to the conference world. I have everything that I want to take with me ready to be placed into my two (small) bags, and I'll be on my way.

See you soon? I hope so!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sing A Song Sunday - The Time Change Song (Fall)

It's the time of year where most of us here in the states get to fall back one hour. This is a wonderful time as it gives us a chance to get an extra hour of sleep and to reset our internal clocks to be in sync with the earth's rotation a bit more than we are during the summer. I love this time of year and really dread moving to Daylight Savings in the Spring. Today' song is directed towards choir members and can be found here . There is also a spring version, and I'm sure I'll post a link to that one next year when we [shudder] spring forward yet again... Here is a YouTube video of a guy singing the song. I'm so very sorry for the pitch, but at least he's out there trying his best. Yipes. Anyway, the song itself is based on a hymn composed in 1907 by John Hughes. The words are by Dean McIntyre and were written in 1995. I find the song a bit tongue-in-cheek, but they give me a giggle every time I read them, so enjoy!! Sorry for the lack of diagram
Read more

Being An Internship Director: Why I Do Very Little Active Recruitment

Image
I am not someone who participates in every single internship fair or makes ads for my internship program to put on social media. I do not feel an obligation to anyone to fill all of the openings that I have every year. I operate on a "if you build it, they will come" type of viewpoint. I figure that the interns who are meant to be with me will find me. As a result, I do very little active recruitment. I will be part of the AMTAS Virtual Internship Fair this upcoming Sunday. I am not really expecting too many applications coming from this meeting, but I am interested in how it is going to be run. I decided to sign up because I want to see what others are doing and offering out there. So, this Sunday, I will be sitting in front of my computer, listening to what others share about their internships. One of the things that I like about being a National Roster Internship Director is that I have the ability to decide how many interns and when those interns work with me. I occasiona
Read more

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea
Read more