Thoughts

“The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats...”
― Albert Schweitzer

Ah, Albert, I think you are a man after my own heart. I can be stressed out about having to think about surgery, situations at work with my supervisor, the balance in my bank account, and I find that two things can make those things seem less concerning to me. Those two things are making music with my clients and rubbing Bella-cat between the ears.

There is something about hearing the melodic purr of my cat after a long day that just makes me breathe a bit more deeply.

There is also something about being in the middle of a musical improvisation with kids who have finally become group-oriented that requires being fully in the moment and not distracted by anything else. One of those perfect music therapy moments is like a plug in the bottom of a bathtub - find it, and all of the outside stressors just drain away.

“My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.”
― Edith Sitwell 

Oh, Edith, I think we could have been friends. I have days where I crave silence above all else. I have to turn off as much as I can in order to refresh myself, and I have to be away from music.

There are other days when all I want is music swirling all around me.

Reading is one of my strategies for escape - I am a book addict - and I can easily escape from any situation with a library book and my reading glasses. It is wonderful to get sucked into the plot lines, characters, and twists of a good book while everyone else around you is running around. A book can drown out the hustle and bustle of the airport or the doctor's office. I always have at least one in my bag or backpack.

“I've always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their routines if they burst into song at significant moments.”
― John Barrowman 

I love this idea. Could you imagine if your entire life was one long musical, opera, or recitative? All emotions would be expressed in song. All ideas would be shared with us all in lyrics. All relationships would have a theme. 

I would love it if others shared my propensity to burst into song at any moment of the day or night. It would be reassuring to be deemed socially adept when I felt the need to sing about my frustration at not knowing what to decision to make or about how standing in long lines increases my frustration sevenfold.

That is probably what I love about music therapy. I have an excuse to sing in the hallways at work. I can use music to mirror emotions. I know what it is like to feel the need to make some very loud keening sound to express what is inside of me. I also have no qualms about acknowledging those keening sounds in an echo to reinforce the idea that the sound has been heard and the situation is being addressed. It is amazing how many kids have looked at me in shock when I have echoed their screams right back to them. Those sounds are a starting point for communicating emotions, wants, and needs, and off we go!

Have a great morning, all!