Sometimes You Win.

I work in a field where, flexibility is key. Let me explain. About eight months ago I bought a guitar - was it eight months ago? Might have been more, might have been less... but it was under a year. After several (six) lessons I had the rudimentary understandings of how the guitar worked, several (six) chords under my belt and a quasi decent strum pattern.

I learned Wind Beneath My Wings - because secretly I love that song and because I thought it would be really annoying and painful for my co-workers to listen to. After a bit, I learned a few more songs... These few things, this small personal interest accomplishment is what qualify me as a "music therapist."

Well, that's what my boss proclaimed this one hour of programming once a week to be over the next year. "Musical Therapy".

The second they told me that was what I was doing this year (besides teaching French) I started laughing because it made me think of the first time I heard a women cleverly refer to herself as a "Domestic Engineer".

I doubt I could engineer something domestic to save my life let alone give therapeutic music time to a bunch of adults with intellectual disabilities. But there I was, today all day, banging away on my guitar till my fingers nearly bled. Six hours is a lot of guitar-ing for someone who dabbles. My left arm is aching and I'm wincing while I type with my injured digits.

"Did you ever know that you're my hero?"

I guess I sound bitter, or impositioned by all this but really, that's something I like about my job. Where else would someone like me get to teach French or provide music therapy? I've been an art teacher before - so doing arts and crafts felt legitimate to me and even literacy (being the book lover I am) was a joy and something I felt was not only do-able but important. We never made it through the Canada Reads book list but at least we were working towards some type of entertainment or enlightenment through literacy.

I'm a college educated person doing something that I wasn't educated to do. Maybe some people might get irate at being asked to do things that "aren't my job" or in their field of expertise, but I think I've grown a lot as a person by helping others do things that nobody ever thought they would be able to learn, comprehend or practice.

"I can fly higher than an eagle"

This year - I plan to have the art group start on creating wall size murals. They've never done it before and I don't know how they'll like it or if it will be a flop... but we're going to give it a try and see anyway. Last year they tried Batik and loved every minute of it.

I've never painted a wall size mural in my life.

"Cause you are the wind beneath my wings."

I can't wait to figure it all out.