shhh....

house is quiet, baby is sleeping, and I've given myself 6 more minutes to screw around online before getting down to the business of writing, then some crafting. We should skip afternoon naps more often!

(here's to hoping she doesn't wake up at 4am...fat chance...but the solitude is kind of a glorious trade...)

music for healing

I have the opportunity to present on therapeutic drumming coming up here in a couple months. While meeting with the coordinator, we had to hash out some details of a flyer that is going to go out to garner interest that had the words "the healing power of (music)" on it. Phrases like this give me hives because I think people will automatically think that if they have some sort of illness, physical or mental, that they'll be miraculously healed by music. 

While I do believe in the whole - "music of the spheres" - everything is vibration - everything is rhythm - thing, music unfortunately cannot outright heal someone of their illness. However, it can be ridiculously healing.

A few months ago NPR posted on facebook the simple question, "What music makes you cry?" It made me think of something in music psychology we call extra-musical associations, which usually have to do with choosing appropriate musical selections during a relaxation. Extra-musical associations are narratives that either we or the composer put on a certain song or piece of music. In the case of classical music you've got La cathedrale engloutie (the underwater cathedral) by Claude Debussy which, totally sounds like its title:

and then in popular music, you've got Adele, who I'm pretty sure was stalking me in high school and college and writing songs about my relationships:

Our extra-musical perceptions are very personal and very meaningful. There isn't a single time I can listen to certain Coldplay songs without thinking of the South of France, or driving outside of Fort Worth, or whatever.

But further than that, what are the songs that bring you to tears? Every once in awhile, this song gets me because it reminds me of my grandfather who died, a boyfriend who left me, and a friend who basically disappeared without explanation:

I heard from someone that there was a study done on the chemical compound of tears from three people: one who was cutting onions, one who was physically in pain, and one who was grieving. Turns out the one who was grieving had lots of serotonin in their tears, which means that the tears were actually physically healing. Crazy, huh?

What's on your tearjerker playlist and why?

getting it together

I've had this ongoing epiphany the last week and a half or so. I am making a conscious effort to have more of a routine and schedule and if you know me you know that this is SO RIDICULOUSLY DIFFICULT for me. I had to actually physically make an excel spreadsheet that has things like:

wake up

thyroid meds

run

smoothie

feed dog

lunch

laundry

sweep

clean bathroom

etc.

:to help me get through my day. Otherwise, it's not too long before I turn into a cranky mess because I feel like I can't get anything done. Last week was pretty good - I mostly got some stuff done and then had to spend part of the weekend catching up on laundry and cleaning (which I hate). This week is seeming to be a little more focused and organized, and I'm learning that if I actually schedule myself time to do things like organize Addy's room, including making time where I have no other responsibility than making sure her room is put together, not only does it feel AMAZING but I also have time to do things like work on my back porch, spray paint some lanterns, that sort of thing.

What's even more awesome is that even with last week being just a TOUCH more organized and the institution of a nightly routine: 

Kyle comes home

dinner

bath

sleep

:Addy, after several months of at least two night wakings, has been sleeping through the night like a champ more nights than not. AND been napping more consistently. Weird. 

What's even more weird is how much I like this. It gives me hope because when Kyle says things like, "You really think you have time for vegetable beds in the front yard?" I can confidently say "YES!" 

(even though I mean, 'okay I know I still have a long way to go but eventually, yes')