music, therapy, and me

If you've been someone who reads this blog every single day, then you know that I was injured at work last year (almost a year ago now). I was involved with a client who left supervision, barged into the music therapy room, tore up my expensive keyboard, and engaged in aggression. During my attempt to assist the client in staying safe, the client pushed me, my knee twisted, and something popped. I went down. Turns out, I completely tore my left Anterior Cruciate Ligament, and my life has changed since that time. You wouldn't think that something as small as an ACL could affect many things, but I'm here to tell you that this injury has changed lots of things in my life. Enough dwelling on the past. It's time to look at the future. Today, I get to take CPR and First Aid. I have been certified in CPR and First Aid since I was 14 years old, and this is the first time in a long time that I haven't been a card carrying member of those who can assist others. I was to...

I'd like you to meet Mildred. Mildred is the newest member of my personal circle, and she provides me with "gentle strength." This cage of bars, neoprene pads, hinges, and velcro has supported my knee for the past month, and has at least 10 more days to go before Mildred is set aside (for at least a short time) in favor of Arnold, my immobilizer. Isn't it amazing that we have devices and things like this available to us when we need them? I just marvel on this fact. In the old days, an injury like the one I have would have pretty much been a permanent thing. I would be limping and on crutches (at least) for the rest of my life. These days, I go in for a 6-hour surgery and voila! I start working that new ligament so it can work properly. One of the interesting things about Mildred is that she is an attention-getter. When I'm not working, I go out in my shorts because pants are just too hot and skirts are too fluffy for Walmart. I am amazed at how many peopl...

FRIDAY (need I say more?) Recently, I've waxed rhapsodical about things like Post-Its and other mundane little things that are very important to my sense of doing things. Today, I am going to talk about the fact that it is Friday. Friday is my favorite day of the work week for several reasons. At my job, Friday has always been a day where the responsibility and requirements of group therapy have been non-existent. We provide therapy treatment, Mondays through Thursdays, for the simple reason that we try to sustain a schedule during the summer months when we do not work on Fridays. It is difficult to cram all of the Friday treatment sessions into a 4-day workweek when those 4 days are already full. So, we plan all of our treatment into the Monday-Thursday week. Fridays have always been a day for additional support or treatment, but not related to group coverage and teacher preparation time. Right now, Fridays are long and boring for me. With the prohibition of doing thi...