Vacation Dilemmas

I am starting the only full week of my Fall Break, so things are firmly settled into vacation mode as of NOW! I have decided to spend most of my break time working on a small business challenge (I referred to this a couple of posts ago...), and trying not-to-do any stressing about what I "should" be doing and not purchasing any type of school supplies (because I already have MORE than I need). I've managed to go to the Back to School displays at both Target and Walmart without purchasing anything but post-it notes (the one thing that I did need). I reached my reasonable post-it note purchase limit, so I have 10 days of possible temptation to work my way through before I am back to school!

I finished the laundry yesterday (including the bedding!) and the dishes are about 60% finished as of this writing. I am getting ready to do things like vacuum and organize and re-do some things. I organized my paper stash yesterday, so it is now arranged in rainbow color order (ahh) and looks wonderful! I can now find the colors that I need to complete some projects for my music therapy clinic without having to go through every sheet of paper that I have. There is a huge stack for cardstock (don't need to buy any of that for a while) and another huge stack of copy weight paper. My pens and pencils are also corralled, so I am ready to start another round of creative exploration!

Here's the cover - from the inside!

I just finished being internship director, so I will be spending some time reviewing my current program, making some changes (like I do after each intern and before each intern), and getting some projects finished. I recently made a composition book cover for some reflexive journaling that I want my interns to start up again. The cover is laminated and holds two composition books so I can use one with each intern as they are present in my program. I'm thinking through how I want to run this part of the program - weekly assignments? Occasional writing? Writing between the two of us? Each of us having our own journal?? Sharing the journal with other interns no longer present? So many thoughts.

I think that one of the most important things for any of us to do is to process through issues, triumphs, and situations that occur in our clinical work, so this is the reason that I've made this particular project. Not everyone likes to write as much as I do, so these journals will have places for links, for pictures, for writing, for drawing, for whatever. I think that these books can become a repository for all future interns to share information with one another. I also think that this type of "Time Capsule" will help me out as the supervisor. This will be in addition to the self-processing journal that I require all my interns to complete as part of their time with me - that journal remains private. This one will not - it will be shared with me and with other interns.

This break will be dedicated to thinking and to doing. I am starting to get more familiar with instagram - please follow my new account - musictherapyworkslandaker for updates on what is happening with my business. At this point, I am just really diving into this particular platform, so I'm trying some things out! Let me know if there is something that you think I should be doing on that platform, so I can learn more about it all the time! (It's kinda like Apple things and Wordpress - I just don't get how to do those things. They are not intuitive for me!) As a result, it takes lots of concentration and experimentation to get these things to work easily for me. I do keep trying, however, because I know that other people use these things without difficulty...

I am trying REALLY hard not to make a to-do list this time around. I usually do that type of list and then I end up being really disappointed with myself, so the to-do list is going out the window this break. All I really want to get finished is my business challenge goals and my need for rest. I'm going to take a nap whenever and wherever I want over the next week! (I've already accomplished this goal over the past three days!!) I'm trying.

There is something freeing about getting to do what I want when I want. I don't usually allow myself much freedom and the "Coulda, Shoulda, and Woulda" goblins are present in my head very often, but this is break, which means that I can do what I need to do without the artificial expectations that I place on myself. Just not going to do it. Not going to do it. Not!


Time to get going into this day of rest and whatever. The cat has already been out to see me a couple of times, so it is time to give her some attention as I work on the next module of my business challenge. I've accomplished one of my goals - get a bit better at using Instagram - but I still have some work to do! I think I'll play with paper here in a bit to satisfy my current creative itch, and I also think there's a dinosaur song lurking in the back of my head (I just found some Dinosaur flashcards at Target), so there is plenty to do - as I feel the urge!

Keep singing your own song!