Coming Close to the End of the Calendar Year

I have seven more work days before the end of the calendar work year. At this time last year, we were working without client contact. This year, we are getting ready to host a local middle school group for their "Jingle Jam" because people in my work area do not believe that COVID is a big deal anymore. I am still not convinced and am not doing our own holiday event because of COVID. I do not want to be the one who starts another breakout at my facility because someone is singing and spreading virus particles everywhere.

I admit that I am still scared of this virus, but I am more scared of the people who are not scared of this virus.

COVID feelings notwithstanding, I am looking forward to the end of this calendar year. It has been a doozy for me.

Again, I am not the type of person who believes that a man-made time construct will automatically change all the things happening in my life, but there is something nice about knowing that the end of the year is approaching. I am tired of 2021, bring on 2022.

In the next seven work days, five of them are "spirit days." I am continuing my quest to make every "spirit day" a pajama day. Today's is easy because it is "comfy clothing day." I don't know what the other days are because I am not usually so into "spirit." I am looking forward to wearing my flannel pants and huge t-shirt to do music therapy today.

We are going to be playing with my toys today. The nice thing about moving out of my former home is that I have uncovered all sorts of things that I bought for my students a while ago and haven't had at my fingertips. I have them now, so I am taking them to work for my kids to play with and experience. These are non-digital electronic toys. I have five different ones to use during sessions - DropMix, my Orchepus, my Baby Orchestra, the SonicLoops, and my YouRock guitars. I hope the toys will engage some of my less easily engaged clients into musical interaction.

I have three groups today. I would usually have four, but we are down two classes at the moment due to several staffing shortages - do you know anyone who needs a job? Send them my way! For the rest of the day, I am going to continue to arrange my stuff in my new cabinet and in the other cabinets. I now have space to put the entire drum set on top of my cabinets rather than in my office. That will give me some more space for activities in the office - and for two interns at the same time. That is my end goal - to house all three of us in a neater space. 

I haven't made it to that point yet.

I am hoping to end this calendar year with a new arrangement in my workspace. I am hoping to end this calendar year in a way that offers me the rest that I need. I have almost two weeks of time off at the end of this year, so I am ready to host my mom and my sister and then have seven days in my own space to just rest and relax and unpack and unpack and unpack. 

After that hiatus from work, I will return, hopefully ready to jump back into the stresses of my job and my specific facility's challenges. It will be interesting to see what 2022 will bring to my clients and to my co-workers and to me and mine.

For now, though, I am going to offer my clients some new things to try out. I am going to watch them figure out how to use different materials, and I will be making music with them all. I will also strive to release my stress and not let others manipulate my emotions into doing things that I am not comfortable with during this season. Ooh. I just remembered that my Friday sessions are cancelled due to the Holiday Dinner, so I have an opportunity to have five groups cancelled this week - all not because of me but because of other things happening! Happy thought!

See you tomorrow for a TME Tuesday post!