music, therapy, and me

My first post idea for this morning was a rant about anxiety and worry. I decided not to post it as it seemed to be a bit too personal for this blog. However, one of the things that I strive to do in these posts is to acknowledge everything that happens as part of my life as a music therapist, even when those things tend to be less on the music or therapy side of things and seem to be more firmly centered on the me side of things (hence the title of this blog - music, therapy, and me - the commas are purposeful!). I am currently a bit more prone to things like worry and anxiety right now. I started the week off with a very specific anxiety dream firmly centered in my work life. It left me a bit shaken two mornings ago. When I remember my dreams, they are often based in anxiety - I'm being chased, I have to hide, and/or I have to address challenging behaviors in my clients in a public situation. I had one dream where we had set up an obstacle course with a mud pit, and the one cli...

I admit, I can be the person who just stares at strangers when out in public. I prefer it when I am outside and can watch others from behind my Dollar Tree sunglasses, but I am that person. I observe. I spent the morning at my local Firestone shop getting the tires rotated and the oil changed in my car. Then, I went to the Dollar Tree and shopped a bit. I had a chance to observe other human beings interacting with each other. I love the opportunity to watch people interact. Today, in the hour I spent with the folks at the tire store, I saw interactions that ranged from the familiar to the friendly. The front office folks were friendly to all of us, but there were definitely some folks that had more of a relationship formed with customer and staff. Those folks were greeted by name, joshed around with a bit, and greeted with a clap on the shoulder. The rest of us were greeted with a smile, a friendly greeting, and some light conversation about our cars. After my car was finished, I...

I think this quotation encompasses many of the things I want to do and see in this world. It doesn't take much time to be kind when dealing with other people, but it does require a bit of empathy. To be kind, you have to be aware of how the other person may interpret your interaction and change how you are interacting to support their responses and emotions. I was recently in a situation where the other person pretty much presented an idea that I didn't agree with, and I was told that I would do this without question if I wanted to continue to have a particular role. The expectations were not revealed until I had made a commitment to the role. Then, it was "Okay, but you know you are going have to do this, this, and this if you want to stay. Oh, by the way, I talked to this person and this person about this situation, and they are SO excited about how this is going to happen." I walked away. During and after that interaction, I felt that the other person really ...

Yesterday was a day of travel for me. I started off the day in the airport near my parents' house and ended it at my home. In between, there were flight cancellations, significant flight delays, missed flights, rebooked flights, significant attitudes displayed, and FINALLY, a way home. I like to think of myself as someone who cares for others. (This may not be evident by this blog, which does tend to focus on ME, but that's in the title - and, everyone is entitled to a little selfishness every once in a while.) I honestly try to place the needs of others before my own, but this trait has a way of making me a doormat when other people want their ways. This was demonstrated over and over again in the airports yesterday. People were making demands. They were cutting in lines. They were yelling at ticket agents - who were not the ones making the decisions. People kept insisting that their situations were more dire than the situations of each and every other person on each fli...