Weekend Update

Dear Lady at the Gym,

Although I admire you motivation to go to the gym, please wear proper gym attire. Using the machines (that everyone else at the apartment complex uses!) wearing solely a sports bra is really gross. Plus the gym is out of disinfectant wipes which I didn't see you ask about. Sweating all over the machines is already disgusting. At least when you wear a shirt (with sleeves!) there's a bit of an absorbent barrier. Ew.

Sincerely,

Lauren

Yeah, there was a lady who came into the gym while I was working out to use the bike. I really wanted her to be wearing a shirt. Not because of how she looked but rather the whole issue of sanitation and maintaining clean equipment for people is difficult enough when a lot of people use the stuff. Eck. She was only there for about 20 minutes.

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In other news, I had a great day at work yesterday. I had an excellent supervision Friday morning. I was describing one of my clinical placements while I was studying at Chapman. I spent a semester working with adults with disabilities the fall of my junior year. That was such a big semester for me. I had a lot of growth in my skills and understanding of music therapy. I first started using the piano in a clinical way in that setting. When I started here, I have been reminded of that placement but my skills and my life are so different from that fall of 2007.

This week has been a pretty big week in terms of my awareness too. Two big examples are regarding what it is to be human (sort of ) and the therapeutic relationship. I learned in school that people with disabilities are people first and foremost. I knew that. But as I have been working on my case study and spending time watch tape and thinking about my client, I truly understand that. It may seem simple, but it just absolutely clicked. Same with the therapeutic relationship. At school the idea was drilled into our heads: its a triangle between the client, therapist and music and its an interaction of all three things. But it wasn't until I started working here and developing a therapeutic relationship that I truly began to understand this concept. It just clicked. Sometimes it takes a lot of my cognitive capacities to try and make sense of things- but seriously- this was easy. It just clicked.

So my supervisor and I started talking about how my clinical placement was a sort of foreshadowing to my life and development now. That semester was full of growth plus a lot of other similarities (facility, clients etc) and well you know how this year has gone. Its been remarkable. But I haven't really come full circle. I started kind of describing a swirl. Like the one pictured above. The swirl is like a symbol for life- like your timeline. because you can revisit situations or places or stages of development in life, but its never really full circle. You can't ever be in the same place as you once were because growth is inevitable. So you are different and always changing and growing. you swirl and expand out as you grow- so you're bound to revisit ideas and feelings and things. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does to me. Like... that semester in 2007-- I've completely expanded again, but I'm revisiting the same concepts and client population--- but I've grown so much.

My supervisor kind of looked flabbergasted and said that the concept was kind of amazing and makes a lot of sense with the Maslow ideas too. He also suggested that I do some art to kind of give me a visual and journal about it-- -those things really do help me. So last night I started on a swirl. Its kind of cool. its 2-D but if you do shading and all that you can give it depth.

Our ITD has been stressing throughout the internship that not only will we expand on that horizontal plane but that our work will acquire depth. Whoa- connection there. The swirl goes outward but yet can have depth. Kinda crazy.

My supervisor and I kind of talked about the swirl and mandalas and if I'd ever done artwork like this before. I stopped to think and realized that I painted this square thing in April one afternoon. I was feeling arts and crafty. I realized that what I had painted sort of looked like a swirly looking thing--- and definitely an unclosed circle figure. I found it and took a picture to show you.

It also kind of looks like water. I really like water. Its a good symbol for me too.

Sooo I've been swirling out of control - in a great way-- for the past two days.

Kari is coming over today for Vampires, Werewolves and Waffles, Oh my! I have a bucket of Vamp-aritas (margaritas with a theme! We love a good theme) slushing in the freezer just waiting for consumption AND plenty of waffle makings. But now I've gotta get cleaned up and straighten up the apartment before Kari arrives.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!