Fun on a Friday

It's another snow day shortened week at my home. I don't have to leave for work until two hours later than usual, and I get to leave work very early. I am enjoying this routine, and I am hoping I can do it again next spring semester. This is my compromise for having interns and lots of snow days. I take my least clinical day and shorten it to make up for all the extra snow day hours that I have worked this winter. I can't really take an entire week off in a row when I am supposed to be actively supervising music therapy intern volunteers, so I've arranged it so that I can take some time off every week.

That means a bit more time at home on Friday mornings. I want to spend some time today getting back into a creation routine, so I am going to take some time to organize my crafting space and then make something. I also have my town's summer arts center class schedule. I think I may take a class this summer. I just have to settle for one and then pay the fee. So, what should I take? Hmm.

My to-do list is pretty long. It includes finishing up three presentations, getting things uploaded to my website for next weekend, and doing the everyday type chores that constantly dog my heels. I have also added the task of cleaning my oven since I nearly smoked myself out of my home due to leftover cooking drips. I also have some presentation proposals to write and some things to record for my website. The cat is demanding some attention at the moment, so I guess that's on the Friday morning agenda as well. After she decides she is finished with me, I'll knock out a couple of chores this morning. I can get the laundry started and pick up the bathroom hallway while I'm thinking about other stuff.

Yesterday was a cranky day. I was not happy about just about everything that happened in my schedule, except for those times that I was just observing. One class didn't show up, but they didn't let me know that they weren't going to show up, so I was sitting there waiting for them. That really made me angry. I talked a bit to my fellow folks who were also stood up, and that kept me from exploding the way I was tending to do (cranky days lead me into emotional confrontations that really aren't that big in the long-range scheme of things). I spent most of the day on the verge of crying or screaming, so the fact that I did not do so was a really good thing for me. I am feeling less cranky this morning, and I think it has lots to do with my schedule.

Isn't it amazing how a small shift in the hours that you work can make a difference? I am finding this time a bit more valuable than I originally thought it would be - it amazes me that leaving two hours later than usual can change my attitude into something relaxed rather than something harried. I bet this is what working flex hours is like - choosing when you are ready to go to work and then working when you are best suited to concentrate and engage. I would still be working early morning hours - I am just that type of person, but having the choice would be nice - but, it wouldn't be all that practical. Schedules are important when you are interacting with other people.

Okay, it is time to move into the fun parts of this morning. I am going to sit down with my summer arts catalog and do some dreaming. I will do some of my chore list. I will create something, and then I will get ready for work. I will see my two individuals this morning, talk to my current intern, and then do my documentation from yesterday (I only have to write four notes - all the other clients were absent from the session). After that, I will finish my clinical day with peer supervision with my art therapy colleague, and then I'll head home.

Happy Friday!