Re-cap of This Break Week

I woke up in a bit of a panic this morning, wondering what I was going to write about for Cultural Considerations today. My panic may have been influenced by the argument going on in the apartment above mine - I couldn't hear what was being argued about, but I could certainly hear the emotion happening. It took me a bit of time to remember that it is Friday and not Saturday, so I still have some time to think about tomorrow's post. This is the type of thing that happens when I am coming to an end of a break - difficulty with time perception.

My break has been full of the things that always happen during one week off - a bit of cleaning, lots of rest, and some return to creative exploration. I do better with all of these things when I have two weeks off. At the end of two weeks, I tend to be really bored with my own company, and I am itching to head back to work! I don't get that same itch when I only have one week off. Oh well. That's what I get for being a therapist in the school district - time off when the district says there will be time off.

I'm not quite ready to head back into the swing of my daily routine, but I'll do it because I have to. It's as simple as that. 

(I like my paycheck.)

I did get some things accomplished this week - I started the process of looking for a realtor - That was HUGE for me! I committed to a trip to Hawaii this summer - taking time off from work and my intern to go someplace new to me! I am also trying to figure out some timelines for myself - routines that I can establish and sustain in order to get some things done. I'm hoping that this time change will help with some of that, but I won't know for sure until I get back to work next week and see what my energy level is like. I've been able to sustain good sleep/wake patterns this week, but I also have had little to no physical demand on my body, so we'll see if this week of rest has improved my stamina or has just been a reprieve. I also sent out my first music therapist envelope to the nominee that someone suggested a while ago. I hope the recipient enjoys the little things that I sent. That was fun! I hope to do more of those surprise "Happy Mail" envelopes soon.

Tomorrow, I will get back on track with my weekly blog post patterns. I am going to sit down and write a bit about my exploration of culture from this past week, and then I'll choose a new song for Song Conversion Sunday. I think I'll do the random iPod selection thing again. That is allowing me to explore some interesting music that I already have in my collection.

While I am not ready to return to work, I am resigned to the necessity of doing so. I will look forward to meeting some new music therapy students this next week, and I am definitely looking forward to getting back into the swing of doing music therapy with more of my clients for the next six months. I will actually be strategizing music therapy treatment again instead of watching others lead it! I am happy about that.

My break is almost over. It is time to get back to work. See you tomorrow? I hope so!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Anticipation Builds...

Ask any school teacher about the week before break and you will get the same response each time - ugh. We are entering that week at my place of work. I am dreading it, but am also looking forward to it. My plan is as follows - clients choose what they are going to do in (some) sessions. Last week, we played Name That Tune. Now, I always fix the games where I get points when my students display unsportsman-like behavior or inappropriate interactions with each other or where I stump everyone in the room with my music selections. I also always cheat at the end with the reckoning of points. Always. I lost. We set it up so that they get to choose what happens in the next session (with guidance from me) if they win. If I win, it's business as usual. Three of my groups will be choosing what they are going to do during their therapy hours. I anticipate lots of karaoke and movie watching during those three hours. I am getting ready for a short week as well as experiencing the week...
Read more

There's Always Something...

I am starting to fill up the gaps in my music therapy schedule with individual music therapy treatment times. This is a great feeling. I'll start individual treatment on July 11th when we come back for our second session of our Extended School Year. I'll get things going for three weeks, reevaluate, and then start up again when the regular school session starts. I am excited about getting back into this type of therapy. I've missed it, but there's something else going on. I'm a bit scared. You would think that my 23+ years of being a therapist would make things lots easier for me to jump back into this type of therapy interaction, but I am a bit scared still. I think most of these feelings have to do with forced light duty and almost a year of being out of my comfortable routine. I know that some of these feelings are rooted in fears of being hurt again. I don't want to be hurt again. I know that many of these feelings are somewhat irrational, but they sti...
Read more

Going on a Squeegee Hunt

One of the songs that I sang over and over and over again as a song leader in Girl Scouts was "Going on a Squeegee Hunt ." Now, you may be wondering what a "squeegee" is - good question! It is an imaginary creature that was probably invented by some obscure girl scout in Southern California many, MANY years ago! Anyway, similar to the traditional children's song of " Going on a Lion/Bear/Tiger Hunt ," the song takes you through a sequential process over, under, around, and through various obstacles towards a goal. Today, as I am sitting here writing, I am thinking about the poor squeegee being hunted. It is just in its cave, trying to do its squeegee things without interruption, when suddenly, BOOM! Some Girl Scout arrives to poke it! The poor squeegee does what it can - it jumps up and chases the Girl Scout all the way home!! This has not been a good work week. It is amazing how people will make mountains out of molehills. Here is the deal. I se...
Read more