Friendship is beautiful and it is weird. This is essentially my stream of consciousness about my feelings towards friendship.

Here in Rochester the seasons are just starting to change. We’re approaching October and the leaves are so colorful already! This makes me think of friendship, all thing cyclical, and of course a song.

Things hit us a little harder when they’re close to home, right? Well, we’re home.

Just a day and a half ago I found out about Daniel Prude. He was just 41 years old and experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental health crises are not new - I have experienced episodes, as have my family members, friends, coworkers, professors, etc. So, why did he die by the hands of police!

Things need to change. Drastically. The police are not policing… they’re killing. It’s not okay. It’s never been okay. Black Lives Matter.

Here’s a list of organizations where you can donate to support Black Lives in Rochester, NY.

I heard a podcaster once say, "it's not worth trying to figure out why you trust someone or not. You just do or you don't." They talked about how it was one of the few things that is inherently a gut response. You just know whether or not you trust someone. Of course I want to analyze this now. There’s gotta be truth to it, right?

I can’t help but pick apart the lyrics of this song and relate it to what we’re going through with this pandemic. Like, oh my goodness, doesn’t it just articulate all that we’re experiencing right now?

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!

When we come together with our forces of good, amazing things happen. When we talk with each other about our ideas, we inspire one another.

We are stronger together.

And we are better together.

I dare you to prove me wrong.

There’s creativity within each of us, or so that’s my belief, and yet so many people claim they are not creative! What a travesty! I’d like to chat about what this creativity is and what it feels like [to me] to access it. Join along in the conversation! I’d love to hear about your creative process!

I’m getting really honest here, not because I want attention, sympathy, or criticism, but because I think someone needs to voice the unsaid thoughts of music therapists.

Have you ever thought of leaving the field of music therapy?

As we continue on the journey of racial justice and reconciliation, what are some actions we can take in our everyday lives? Note, I am a white, straight female, and am the last person to claim to be an expert in this important work; however, I can share with you the things I am doing on a daily basis to continue supporting and uplifting Black lives.

Here are 5 areas where racial work takes shape in my everyday life.

I feel like I don’t have the authority to write about racism in America. I’m just another white girl writing a blog as if I have something profound to say, when honestly, I don’t. …I am on the side of privilege when it comes to this country, and it saddens me..

Can’t you just come over?

I want to feed you, I want to chat with you. I want to bring you a warm cup of tea with just the right amount of honey to make it smooth and pleasant.

I am a caretaker, a host, at heart. It pangs me to be alone in this home with no one to entertain…

I’m getting excited, you guys! This is something I’ve been sitting on for a long time now, and finally (funny enough, during quarantine) it’s happening!

That day is today. And as I write this, I still have yet to take them off my phone calendar. I guess I’m writing this as a way to make myself accountable for actually taking them down. The buzz of my phone with the once-weekly music therapy session just makes my heart sink.

I grew up with music all around me. I was in every musical ensemble I could get my hands on… choir, band, jazz band, church musicals, marching band, etc. Music was my life. But I should clarify. MAKING music was my life.

I never realized that this was my sole relation to music until I married my husband, brilliant musician himself. I never just sat with music. I never simply experienced it. I played music, I sang music, I made music, but I rarely (or ever) sat with music. What does it mean to just sit with it?

It’s weird to think that the safest space we have right now is inside our homes. When we step outside there’s this whole unknown world with an invisible virus going around. How can we possibly protect ourselves when we can’t see the virus! …But it’s so important to get outside.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

While everything is blooming all around me, I thought, what better time than this to relaunch my blog, website, and voice on the internet. Join me on this 1-minute ride down one of the most beautiful streets in Rochester, NY in the Springtime.

It sounds so weird to isolate ourselves, especially when we know that connection with other human beings is key for mental health. So, what are we to do? How do we get that connection when it feels impossible?! Does seeing someone over a computer screen have the same effect as an in-person visit?