Soft Place To Land

Sugar
Sugar, butter, flour

Sometimes I still see her
My mother the dreamer
She'd say, "Nothing's impossible child"

A dream needs believing
To taste like the real thing
Like some stranger you recognize
So pure, so pure, so electric
So sure, so sure, so connected
To those little believers inside
May we all be so lucky

But dreams are elusive
The kind we've gotten used to
Is nothing I can feel
Nothing I can hold, nothing I can have, nothing that I know
Dreams come and they go

But hold them and keep them (but hold them and keep them)
And know that you need them (and know that you need them)
When your breaking point's all that
You have a dream is a soft place to land

May we all be
So lucky
Sugar, butter, flour

-Soft Place to Land, Sara Bareilles, Waitress the Musical

This song seems to articulate something my internal world is screaming out for: a soft place to land. I have dreams, aspirations, visions, and prayers for the future. I have an idea of what I want to do with my life, what kind of legacy I want to leave. And yet, it’s such a tumultuous road!

I don’t feel like the everyday music therapist, and for whatever reason, I like to shake things up. At the very same time, I am searching for a safe space, a comfortable bed for my dreams to land on, the hands only a loving mother can provide. I feel like I’ve always been searching for that. Let me pause and just say I have a wonderful loving mother, this is not at all about her. 😘

This conversation is about the field of music therapy. This place I call my home that often feels scary, lonely, with dreams that are made to feel unattainable. I get kinda frustrated when I share thoughts and another professional instantly tells me why I’m wrong. I get really peeved when another MT tells me what and how I should do things. There are times and places for this feedback, yes, but during my normal everyday, I look for listening ears not opinions that were not warranted.

I want any space I am part of, and especially any space I host or create, to be a soft place to land. I want to tell every single new professional, “it’s okay” “I’ve been there too” “you can have all your feelings” “you can express your thoughts in whatever way feels most authentic” “I won’t judge you” “I won’t critize you” “I will only offer thoughts, advice, my opinion, and critique WHEN YOU ASK FOR IT.” This list can go on and on, I suppose it’s a reflection of my values, the way I want my business (and coaching and supervision and concveravtions in general) to run.

Dear friends, I hope you find any place we interact together to be a soft place to land. You deserve it. And your dreams do too. ❤️