Where's the Bubble Wrap?

I fell yesterday. I tripped on a bag that contained cans as I was trying to toss my shoes into the washer, and I twisted my ankle pretty severely. In addition, I sprained the pinky and ring finger of my left hand and banged up my right knee and right shoulder. I avoided splitting my head open on the door of my brand new dryer (I don't know how I avoided that), and then I laid on the floor for about three minutes as the pain crested through my various body parts. After the pain started to subside, I did my head to toe check (learned in First Aid training) and determined that I hadn't broken anything. I then stood on my feet, hobbled over to the couch, and cried for a bit.

In my family, I am known as the klutz. I am the one who spent her entire life encased in ace bandages because I never really broke anything, but I sprained everything - over and over and over again. I was the one who tripped at the skating rink and jammed both of my elbows so severely that I was unable to extend my arms at 6th grade promotion. I continued my pattern of spraining things in college. The PT there said that my ankles looked like they had been broken repetitively (as far as I know, I can identify three times when my "sprain" may have been a break) and that I really had no business walking with ankles like mine. Recently, my ACL-repaired knee has taken all the focus off my bad ankles - in fact, when I told my family about my latest fall, they asked "how's the knee?" - This time around, that knee is only as sore as it was before the fall.

I feel like a mess. My body hurts everywhere, and I'm looking towards a day of four different groups and lots of movement. I will wrap up various body parts once I get to work to give me full motility while driving and navigating to my music therapy room.

I feel like a klutz.

I am fortunate that I didn't hit my head or break anything, and I've moved everything out of my way in the hallway where I slammed into the ground. I know that I will fall again, and I am hoping that such a fall will be in a place where there are other people. Fortunately, I have enough experience with falls, sprains, and First Aid, that I can splint myself up enough to dial 911 and get help. At least, I hope so. I did so yesterday. Next time I may not be as lucky.

I am going to head out into the world on this morning, sore and aching from all extremities, and try my best to do meaningful and therapeutic musical interventions and experiences. This is one of those days where it is hard to be a music therapist - and it is all my fault! That's the klutz part of me.

The hardest part of being a music therapist is when being human takes precedence. Right now, my aching body is a stronger stimulus than anything else around me. I'm hoping that I will forget my aches and pains when I'm in the middle of leading music therapy groups, but we'll see if I'm to that point yet or not. There are times when leading music therapy groups is great for distracting me from other things happening, but there are times when the other things are insurmountable. Those times become video days in my music therapy room.

Time to wrap myself in bubble wrap before heading down the hallway. I hope to be here tomorrow, writing as usual, less bruised and more able. We will see.