I've Missed This...But Not As Much As I Thought I Would...Hmmm

 Hi, there.

I've been avoiding this blog for a bit because all I felt that I was doing with it was complaining about things rather than doing what I want to be doing with it which is communicating with music therapists out there about music therapy things and topics that interest us because we share an interest in music as a therapeutic medium. I've also been stuck in a "poor me" mode for a bit, and every single thing that I was writing was permeated with that attitude. I was sinking into an abyss and my usual ways of getting out were not helping...hence, the silence for a bit. I don't know if I am back to writing something daily or not, but we will see where this current mood takes me...

At this very moment, I am sitting here, thinking about all the things that I need to do in the next four hours before I head off to my church job - oh! That has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride lately, but things are coming together so I'm not going to dwell. I am also thinking about what I have to do this week and what steps I need to take to get those tasks finished.

I have lots on my plate right now. I have to generate a 15-minute Sunday School segment for my church job - every Sunday. I have a make-up session for an intern webinar that did not do well on Tuesday last week - that needs to be filmed and distributed. I have a new batch of interns to talk to starting in 10 days. I have my own projects that I am doing right now including a craft room makeover and more work on my evening routine. That is in addition to my full-time job as an essential health care worker in a residential and day school program while being an internship director AND trying to do all of this with two fingers in splints and my dominant hand being basically non-functional! There is lots happening.

Then, when I start down this type of "poor me" path, I have to pull myself up short! There are SO MANY other music therapists who have significantly more difficult paths that they are walking right now. What right do I have to complain?? If you are struggling as a music therapist right now, I am sorry to be complaining. Let me know what I can do to help you out - free CMTEs? A place to talk?? Something else???

For now, I am going to focus on what I can get done in the next 30 minutes. I am going to take my shower and re-tape my splints onto my fingers. That can be done in 30 minutes. After that, I will start my recordings for today. After that 30 minute period, I will spend a little bit of time in my craft room. I am going to hunt down my R2-D2 kitchen timer to keep me on a 30-minute routine, and I am going to plow through my list - one thing at a time.

Blogging - done.

I don't know if I will be ready to blog again tomorrow, but I hope I will. I've missed this opportunity to write and then send my thoughts off into the ether. Hope to "see" you soon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sing A Song Sunday - The Time Change Song (Fall)

It's the time of year where most of us here in the states get to fall back one hour. This is a wonderful time as it gives us a chance to get an extra hour of sleep and to reset our internal clocks to be in sync with the earth's rotation a bit more than we are during the summer. I love this time of year and really dread moving to Daylight Savings in the Spring. Today' song is directed towards choir members and can be found here . There is also a spring version, and I'm sure I'll post a link to that one next year when we [shudder] spring forward yet again... Here is a YouTube video of a guy singing the song. I'm so very sorry for the pitch, but at least he's out there trying his best. Yipes. Anyway, the song itself is based on a hymn composed in 1907 by John Hughes. The words are by Dean McIntyre and were written in 1995. I find the song a bit tongue-in-cheek, but they give me a giggle every time I read them, so enjoy!! Sorry for the lack of diagram
Read more

Being An Internship Director: Why I Do Very Little Active Recruitment

Image
I am not someone who participates in every single internship fair or makes ads for my internship program to put on social media. I do not feel an obligation to anyone to fill all of the openings that I have every year. I operate on a "if you build it, they will come" type of viewpoint. I figure that the interns who are meant to be with me will find me. As a result, I do very little active recruitment. I will be part of the AMTAS Virtual Internship Fair this upcoming Sunday. I am not really expecting too many applications coming from this meeting, but I am interested in how it is going to be run. I decided to sign up because I want to see what others are doing and offering out there. So, this Sunday, I will be sitting in front of my computer, listening to what others share about their internships. One of the things that I like about being a National Roster Internship Director is that I have the ability to decide how many interns and when those interns work with me. I occasiona
Read more

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea
Read more