Flowers begin to pop up, the sun glistens off of new blades of bright green grass. There is a fresh smell in the air and frequent nourishing rains. The mountains are beginning to awaken from their slumber. The birds, squirrels, and other animals I see seem infused with a new Spring energy. In my step as well there is more buoyancy.
Despite an increase in hours spent at my workplace, I feel a new freedom and energy beginning to emerge. I have begun teaching a weekly staff yoga class, which inspires me to inspire others. I work in several bereavement groups, bringing music therapy to nurture and encourage the hard work of grieving. And I am seeing individual hospice patients in the community, both in private homes and nursing homes. It is amazing to me how diverse my patients and clients are. So many different spiritual beliefs, cultures, and musical tastes are represented. I see each hospice patient as having the ability to "crown" their life with enriched living to the end. Many of them, despite debilitating illnesses like dementia and COPD, are magnificently full of life and willing to share their love. There are so many jewels of personality, humor, and lively opinion left in people even in the very last days of life. It is easy to see a nursing home patient as "unresponsive" if you do not look and listen closely. There seems to be a music in every soul I work with, waiting to escape. Music therapy seems to bring their individual jewels of music to the surface. I am merely the assistant in this process.
At work every day I try to bring a centered mind resulting from good nutrition, enough sleep, and a daily yoga practice. Though I spend the majority of weeknights practicing music at home, I always try to stop around 9:30 or 10 to give myself time to wind down and rest. I am still learning so much. Every day I discover something about myself and music therapy that is new to me. All of this learning requires a certain amount of rest. Just like savasana (final relaxation pose) is necessary to soak up holistic benefits at the end of a yoga practice, my night's sleep is essential in letting me process new knowledge gained from my day. I have been dreaming particularly vivid dreams lately. Each morning when my alarm clock rings, I wake up gratefully knowing that my dreams are an important part of my learning process. Even though I don't always remember them, I know that they are working in the unconscious level to solve problems and bring insight to my life.
Challenges are arising in my life, the biggest being the end of my internship and the beginning of a life free from the nests I have comfortably been nestled in all of my life. It is time to start opening my wings and embracing this new energy I am feeling. It is time to start putting a direction to my new adult life. I know mistakes and roadblocks lie ahead, but I also know boundless joy and wealth await and are even here now. My life's biggest problems are presented most days in the form of little challenges. Every day I survive them and grow from my experiences.
Heart opens,
A new fledgeling begins to stretch her wings,
The sky is blue and the air smells of spring,
A journey presents itself,
The fledgling commits herself to the journey!
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