music, therapy, and me

It is Monday morning at 4:57aam, and I am sitting down to write a bit here on the blog. I am watching a video from Bentley House Minis (I love watching others create miniatures, but that is not something I do for myself - that's what my Mom is currently doing, though) and thinking about the upcoming week. It is Musicians of the Month and Leisure Skills week, so my preparation is limited. When I get to work, I will put together a playlist of musicians who were born in April. After that, I have to add up the amounts in my students' accounts and set prices for various things. My groups that earn money to use in selecting things will be spending that money today. My groups that do not earn money will have an opportunity to select what to do as well.  I do not have anything to think about except for my basic job responsibilities. There are no special events for this week (as far as I know) that I have to participate in. I have a Zoom meeting on Thursday afternoon, but no other oblig...

I didn't get a post in early this morning because the Online Conference for Music Therapy took over my brain and my to-do list, but all of that is finished for the day, so I thought I would try writing in the afternoon. I don't often do afternoon posts, mainly because I am more likely to be able to sit down and write in the quiet pre-dawn hours, but today is an exception, so why not? I spent my early morning hours going through several of the forms and emails that I have to send out over the next seven days, and then finished up my "work" time with a training for some of our presenters. I got to train a music therapist from Norway, one from Greece, and another from Japan - all from my home in Kansas, USA. I love this form of interaction, and I am very grateful that I can participate in things like the Online Conference for Music Therapy, Inc. I would never have "met" many of the music therapists that I have interacted with around the world otherwise. I ca...

EGAD! The last time I tried to write on this blog was a week ago. I didn't finish the post, so there has been silence from this keyboard for this entire week, so let me catch you up with all the stuff that has happened here in just seven short days. My mother and my sister arrived exactly on time (we are a bit concerned about getting them home, but they are here). I got them back to my house at 1am on Sunday morning, shuffled them off to the new mattress sets, and then went upstairs for three hours of sleep before heading off to church to do the children's part of worship. It went off without a hitch - even the littles sang their hearts out! I returned to my house to find that my sister and mother had started right in with the boxes in various areas of the house - the kitchen, bathroom, and office/craft studio. We went to get them a rental car for the week and then went out for lunch and some "necessity" shopping. After that excursion, I was exhausted, so I said goodn...

This post is late because we are in the middle of an INCLEMENT WEATHER DAY!! I finally got one, and I am feeling really snuggly in my fleece robe and jammies. I am considering cancelling my Occupational Therapy appointment due to the cold that has taken over the outside. In fact, I think I will call and cancel...okay. That's finished. I have to do my hand exercises and stretches more diligently to make up for not going today. I now have no obligations until Monday at 3 when I go get my taxes started with my new accountant-type tax person. It is so nice to be sitting here all cuddly. There is not a flake of snow in sight, but the weather is very cold and is affected by the wind that's out there. Things are below freezing and just getting colder as the sun is finally shining for the first time this week. This is the first year that I haven't gone in on inclement weather days, and I am enjoying the idea of having this day to relax and just be. Like I said, I haven't chang...

My week has been a good week. It's been full of ups and downs, but, on the whole, it has been pretty good. I had to spend some time, during my 12-hour day at work, focusing specifically on finding things that made me feel happy in that moment, but I was able to fill a page of those things - even in the midst of my disgust at having to be somewhere that I did not want to be AND doing something I did not want to do. I found some happy thoughts and was able to refocus on those things rather than my immediate situation. At the moment, I am enjoying a late arrival day for the last day of this work week. Everyone else had an opportunity to leave early on our 12-hour day, but I had already worked the hours, so I went to the doctor yesterday. Turns out I have an outer ear infection (which I knew about) and a urinary tract infection (that started about 90 minutes before I made it to the doctor's office). As a result, I am waiting to pick up my medications at the pharmacy at 9am befo...

I am currently in a creative rush and a writing rut. Interesting how those things seem to go hand-in-hand around here. I've written three songs this morning, but I've also deleted lots of blog posts for this blog. For some reason, finding things to write about has been tough this morning. I'm going to give it another go. I guess I am a bit exhausted after playing host to my Mom. Things were different around here, as the cat continues to remind me - having a new person in the living space means that some things get done while others do not. We went lots of new places this week, and I am grateful for the opportunity to explore more of this area, but I don't usually do much of that during vacation, so my napping has really suffered! I plan to rectify some of that today. I'm tired, and that comes out as complaining on this forum. I try not to do too much of that, but there are times when it just has to happen. Through my post-visit haze, I have been able to comp...

I received some news yesterday that kinda threw me into a tizzy. The news is good, but is along the lines of "that thing you thought you had four more months to coordinate? Yeah, maybe only a month now." I can't share any more details, but I can tell you that I am going to be spending some time today trying to see if I can figure out what has to be done immediately. This is actually a good thing for me. In the past seven days, I've had the "I'm feeling like I need a challenge" thoughts as one project wrapped up, and I was trying to come up with another one. I'm sure that this happened partially to get me going on something.  So, thank you, Universe, I appreciate the challenge. As a result of this new challenge, my plans for Friday have changed a bit. I really need to put things back where they belong in my music therapy clinic. I've either been sick or isolated in my office for the last two weeks, so things have piled up inside the cabinet...

Looking back over the school year at this point, I realize that I've tried several new things. I've found a bullet journal format that works for me for session strategizing, and I've also worked through including centers in some of my music therapy sessions. I've also included a "daily happiness" routine and attended some presentations and training about topics that are not part of my regular way of doing things. All of these things were challenging and fruitful. None of them were easy to find my way, but that's what life is - if it offers a challenge, I enjoy it. If it is too easy, I find it boring and not worth talking about. Here are updates of where I am in my list of things that I do on a daily basis: Bullet Journal Schedule Strategizing - On a weekly basis (usually on Friday afternoons), I sit down with my bullet journal and strategize for upcoming sessions. Right now, I am able to plan about 2-3 weeks out from the current session. I sit down, l...

Here in the States, it is the fourth Thursday of the month of November, so we are taking a day to be thankful. There is lots of controversy about how we celebrate, what we are celebrating, and why we celebrate the way we do, but I choose to focus on the idea behind the entire day - setting aside a day to be thankful for what I have. In August, I started posting Daily Happiness posts on Facebook. Every single day, I look for something in my lap that makes me feel happy. I did this because I tend to get mired in negative feelings, and focusing on the positive offers me a pleasant start to my mornings. Taking 30 seconds to think of something that is a privilege or a happy thought has helped me find my positivity and my creativity. It is a mindful practice, I guess. I engage in thinking about something that I am grateful for, and I tend to find more things to be grateful for in the process. It's a small little practice, but it has made a difference for me. Today, I will spend s...

Lately, I've been doing a bit of a personal experiment. I start my day with a "daily happiness" post on my personal Facebook feed. I sit down at the beginning of my day and find something that makes me happy in the past 24 hours. It's part of my "me" plan - my current goals in the areas of emotional development, nutrition, professional focus, and musical focus. I have an index card (because I LOVE index cards) taped to the shelves right by my computer that lists my four goals. (By the way, it's color-coded to my current system for identifying therapeutic domains...) This is the goal that I am doing the best on at the moment (the nutrition one isn't really all that fun to pursue), but I am progressing on all of these things. This was my "new school year" resolution list, and I am proud of my accomplishments. Some days I find it easy to come up with something that makes me happy. Some days it is much more difficult to find something to ap...

I finished my post yesterday, packed up everything I needed for work, and went out to see an absolutely gorgeous full moon lighting up the sky. I almost wept because so much suddenly made sense to me. There are moon skeptics out there. I've worked with many of them over the years, but I can definitively state that I am affected by moon cycles. Whether it is true or not that incidents increase during a full moon, I know that I cycle with the moon. I always have. I waited three extra weeks so I could be born on the night of the full moon. My poor mother was absolutely miserable, but I was determined to stay until the moon pulled me out. Ever since then, my moods have cycled with the phases of the moon - Mom could always tell when it was a new moon time versus a full moon time. So, I was very relieved to see that big old moon up there in the sky. I had lost track of the moon because our mornings lately have been foggy and overcast, but yesterday was clear as a bell and full of m...

There are lots of things to think about on this early morning. There are tragedies happening all over the world, there are decisions being made about how to respond, there are people with illness, disease, and personal difficulty going on in their part of the world. There are joys as well. There are frisky cats running around at 3am. There are people who are working for change in all areas of life. There are babies being born and friends who are celebrating the lives of loved ones. There are lots of things to think about. The quotation on my desk is the following: ...very little is needed to make a happy life. - Marcus Aurelius Wow. That is resonating with me right now. What is actually needed for a happy life? I have studied Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I have read about attachment and bonding. I have pursued learning in the areas of psychology, cognition, and neurology. I have studied the role of spirituality in the lives of myself and my clients. All of this knowledg...

It's been a week, hasn't it? No matter how you voted or who you rooted for, there are many things that have happened this week that need some extra thought and consideration. This country is due for some changes, and whether you think they are good changes or bad changes, we are all going to have to figure out how to work together in ways that we haven't had to consider for many many years. In situations like these, I really need some reminders about the value of a small gesture from a small person and how that can change the attitude and viewpoint of others, so I reach for websites that promote those ideas and values. Here are some of my favorite affirmation sites (please note, these are primarily meant to have some humor associated with them - not just serious thoughts). Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley - Here are some transcripts from Saturday Night Live simply because, " I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!" Th...

I am going to be late today (well, not really late, as I will be arriving to work at the time I am supposed to arrive at work, but it will be later than I usually arrive at work). I am going to refrain from leaving my home at 6am to arrive at work at about 6:50am. I am going to leave my house at 6:30 - not a minute earlier. I have to get gas this morning, so I probably won't be leaving my town until after 6:30am. Oooh, the thrill! I am not a late person. I am a very early person. I made my entrance into this world three weeks after I was expected (much to my mother's dismay!), and my family accuses me of trying to catch up from that very first, very late appointment. Unfortunately, my family members are also early people, so we are often the very first people to arrive for any type of event. This gift of being late is something that simultaneously is a good thing and something that may make me stressed out. When I can plan it, being later than usual is something that feels ...

You may have noticed that I missed a day blogging. (In all actuality, you probably didn't notice, but I like to think that someone out there reads this blog daily!! Hi, Janice!) Yesterday was spent at work after staying at work because we had a significant icing of all roads, and I have bad tires right now that don't really grip the road the way they should. So, I spent the night at work, sleeping on the music therapy room floor in my sleeping bags and on my carpet squares. It was a pretty comfortable experience, and I am glad that I stayed since the reports of what was going on outside were pretty scary (lots of people's cars sliding into ditches, others shooting off the shoulders, and still others ramming into those others). I've adopted a "stay put" type of attitude when it comes to snow and ice. Anyway... This has been the quotation that I have glanced at over the past couple of weeks. I've not paid much attention to this sentiment over said ...

I am exhausted. This happens every year during the summer time. The weather gets hot and humid, and I get tired. I love summer (all the flowers, sunshine, opportunities to get into water, and all the rest of it), but I always end up not getting out to do these things. I just want to sleep. Lots of people seem to blossom when the sun shines more. Folks with Seasonal Affective Disorder do better when the sun returns after the dark days and nights of the winter season. I don't seem to do that. I just seem to be exhausted. Some of that is due to the humid air out there. It is more difficult to breathe when the air is heavy and wet. Less oxygen to the brain increases my feelings of exhaustion. (I just looked at the Mayo Clinic's information on Seasonal Affective Disorder, and there is a version that happens in the Spring and Summer - maybe I should be thinking about that seriously instead of just blaming all of this on my asthma. Mom says that I've always had an aversion to th...

I was sitting outside two group sessions today, listening to what was going on in music therapy as sessions were led by my interns, when, WHOOSH, my creative spark returned. I've been writing quite a bit about my recent lack of creativity, but I knew that it would return at some point. This flood of creativity was a bit surprising. I was expecting that there would be a gradual return. This was not gradual at all. It was more like a dam bursting and all the floodwaters sweeping through the spaces in my brain. I'm currently hoping that it wasn't a one-time thing, but I will enjoy it as it happens. So, what does a creative rush look like for me? Today it was the creation of three therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) - lyrics and some rhythms. Every kid that I heard, saw, or interacted with during the day sparked a new verse or a new song. Whew, kids were very vocal about lots of different things - "being fair," "being cranky," "people who bother ...

I have exactly one more thing to do this conference, and that is to attend exactly ONE presentation this morning before hopping on the shuttle and getting outta Dodge (obscure Kansas reference ;-). This conference has been a busy one for me, mostly meetings, greetings, and talks with folks on the way to different meetings and greetings. I have enjoyed myself this entire time and have felt less exhausted than in the past several meetings. I consider this to be a good thing and hope the trend continues next year in Jacksonville, Florida. As AMTA 2012 comes to a close, there are several things that I want to emphasize and review for myself. Please indulge me as I think "out loud," so to speak. My AMTA membership is important to me. It is important to be an active part of the organization that represents what I do on a daily basis. Sure, the dues are significant and sometimes difficult to accomplish on my limited budget, but the things that AMTA does for me on a daily basis ...

***SPOILER ALERT*** The author of this particular blog post is currently undergoing some major issues at work and at home.  The following post will probably contain one or more of the following: rants rages incoherent statements general negativity The author apologizes to any reader who is still reading at this point for the paragraphs that follow.   NEGATIVITY SWOOPS IN...   Today I got called to the principal's office AGAIN.   I generally try to avoid going anywhere near my supervisor for many reasons, but seem to get called on the carpet on a regular basis these days. I hate going in there and closing the door. I have to sit on the low couch, allowing her and everyone else in chairs to tower over me. Today, there was a human resources representative in the room as well. The situation that I was in trouble for was never fully explained to me, but had to do with a student who had to wait to change her clothes until the end of a session...

This week consisted of three days of not only being a music therapy internship supervisor, but of actually being a music therapist!! One of my biggest challenges as a supervisor is the time when my interns need to be independent and have some time alone in their sessions. This situation, while great for them, is harrowing for me. From the times when I start to feel scattered, restless, and out-of-sorts, I have learned that I really need the daily contact with clients to keep me actively engaged. This has led me to make several decisions, starting right now! I will no longer accept two interns at a time unless it is necessary to do so. If I do have two interns, I will make sure that I still have plenty of therapeutic interaction with my clients. I will never fully leave the music therapy clinic. If there is a teaching position in my future (doubtful, but you never know), I will be an adjunct professor instead of a full-time professor. You couldn't pay me enough money to transf...