From our Music Therapy Intern…
I can feel the Christmas spirit creeping into my heart as radio stations make their annual switch to non-stop holiday tunes and homeowners bedazzle their A-frames with twinkling lights. Front doors are embellished with evergreen wreaths. Storefront windows are spotted with hand-painted snowflakes. Amazon trucks caravan loads of packages through every neighborhood. Advent calendars mark the passing of time and the near arrival of Christmas with their chocolate smudged countdown numbers.
The Christmas season is one of excitement and anticipation. The entire month builds up to one day of pure joy and love. Families gather, towns shut down, ovens work overtime, trashes are filled with expensive wrapping paper, and fluffy pajamas get a full-day wear. The Christmas season brings hope to the bleak winter months. This hope, we know, extends beyond the gifts and traditions of the modern-day Christmas celebration. The gifts given today represent the first undeserved gift ever given to earth; the birth of Jesus Christ.
All of this aside, the Christmas season always reminds me that life is more important than the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Yes, it is important to be able to make enough money to keep food on the table. Yes, it is important to get a degree which is required in order to get the dream job. Yes, it is important to put your best effort into your work. All of these things, however, pale in comparison to the importance of spending precious time with those you love.
The second biggest gift on earth (aside from Jesus Christ) is the family and friends that are dear to your heart. These people play a huge role in helping to create who you are today. They support you, encourage you, love you unconditionally, and show you what life is really about.
As I enjoy this Christmas season, I am reminded of this, and I have come to realize that the clients and coworkers I am surrounded by now are people who are shaping me and encouraging me in my journey to become a music therapist. These people are people whom I am extremely grateful for, and whom I will never forget. Even though I stress about day-to-day details and my endless list of imperfections, the Christmas season reminds me that these things are far less significant than simply loving those around me.
This week, as I sang Christmas songs with clients and made puzzle-piece wreaths in Day Program, I was reminded that I need to let go of the little things. My priority should not be “What will people think of me? Will they think I’m successful”, but rather “How can I best serve this client today? What does this client need from me? How can I show love and encouragement to this client, who so graciously gives me his/her time each and every week?”. I am so grateful for each of my clients as well as the women of HGMTS, and for all that they have done and are doing to guide and teach me in these brief six months together.
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Hannah Avery is our very first Music Therapy Intern here at Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services. Stay tuned for her blog posts as she goes (and grows) through her music therapy internship.
