February 3, 2013: Reinvigorated...

Heaveno!

Well, I just got home from a wonderful two-day advanced training on a group empowerment tool called HealthRHYTHMS.  Rather than go into what it is too much, you can check out  a brief but cool video on the website by CLICKING HERE.

I've been thinking a lot about the communities/populations of people I want to serve in this year, and my focus is shifting away from individual patients in the hospital and more toward groups.  I want to serve more and more people, providing enrichment, connection, and inspiration.  I want to accomplish this through continuing to speak publicly, continuing to write, continuing to coach, and continuing to provide music therapy, but I'd like to get back to doing that with groups.

This weekend, I burned some cognitive calories in some high-level group facilitator training with some real masters at group facilitation.  Frankly, my brain hurts from the workout! LOL.  Because my clinical focus has been individual therapy for the past few years, my group muscles have atrophied!  LOL.  This weekend was like going to some sort of exercise camp when you haven't worked out in a couple of YEARS.  Oh, and I have a program planning meeting tomorrow morning at 9am with a new client.

Good thing it's at a coffee shop!  I think I'll need the extra brain power.

I've been trying to remember to schedule free days on the Mondays after conferences and seminars, but frankly, I put this training into my calendar really late, so tomorrow had already begun to fill up!  My body and brain need a day to recharge after going non-stop over the weekend.  ESPECIALLY with all the sick people roaming the countryside right now!  It's amazing to me just how bad this flu season is.  Oh well.  Progress over perfection, right?



I have to tell you a couple of the GREAT side stories of the weekend.  First off, I sit down in the drum circle first thing Saturday morning, and what am I wearing under my dress slacks?  Fabulous socks, of course.  What is the gentleman (and my new friend, Lawrence) right next to me wearing?  Even MORE fabulous socks.  MISS PIGGY socks!  Holy cow!  What are the odds?



What socks is he wearing today?  I've got my disco girls on and he's got TINKER BELL!  Totally epic.  He was another big kid like myself walking around in a man's body.  I sometimes wonder if I fool anybody with my snazzy dress clothes.  Can they tell I'm just a curious, passionate, sometimes scared/sometimes seemingly invincible little boy inside?

Also, the last time I attended this training was when Bella was 7 months old, and we had just traveled to MN and NYC to meet with the docs to choose which hospital we would try to save Bella at.  In the line to register, I recognized one of the guys from that training in Jan. 2010, and he remembered me, and remembered a specific conversation we had.  He said yesterday, "WOW, you look really good.  I remember last time you were really intense."  I laughed.  I thought about it, and that's when I realized what I was in the midst of when I was last there.

Sometimes I forget just how intense our lives were from May 27, 2009 through the fall of 2010.

I tend to look forward in life, I guess.

Two other ladies who were at that same training both stopped me to give me some love and condolences and tell me how much better I looked now.  I know that I felt comparatively worse and more intense then, but I didn't realize that my body showed it.  These comments were really a validation of the healing and growth that has occurred since then, and I just want to thank all the elements of love, support, and nurturing that have contributed to that evolution.  Thank you.  This includes all of you.  If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have this cathartic outlet to process with in the same way.  After all, I could just be writing all of this in a word doc, but by knowing my words and actions would be read by others, it forced me to work through my own issues - essentially in public - and open myself up to your feedback and support.  Sometimes I've done a good job of being a gracious host, and sometimes I haven't, but isn't that how we are in most things in life?  We're 'sometimes this. and sometimes that.'

In my humble opinion, nobody's perfect but God.

On the home front?  Ang wrangled the kids while I was at the training, so THANK YOU HONEY!  The kids were super happy to see their daddy tonight, and it was a really warm and fuzzy feeling to have both of them so happy to see me.  Ali and I have been working extra hard lately to create a respectful, harmonious relationship, and I really felt it tonight.  Good stuff.

Alright, I am fried.  I could go on, but thanks for being here.  Thanks for your comments.  Thanks for playing the game of life, and not letting it play you.

God night.