It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

 An angel playing a pretend prelude on a prelude harp with a prelude demeanor.

Halloween came and it went, and unfortunately, I didn't get to wear my costume to the adult party this year. So I decided to dress up for Halloween night and pass out candy. I even got a couple boys returning and asking my husband "Where is your daughter...you know, the angel? We didn't come for candy again, we just wanted to see her"

Haha! Kid stalkers!
Yeah, my poor hubs. Feels rather old-ish from that encounter.

I had a dream Wednesday night that I was in a waiting room at a hospital and it was filled with sick kids, kids with cancer, kids that were crying and in pain. I was observing them. I wasn't a harpist in my dream or providing therapy, and it broke my heart because I could not stand seeing them in pain.

Well, Thursday, I'm volunteering and setting up and looking for a chair (I am always looking for a chair now that I broke that little stool!) I grabbed a chair next to a family and the young Mother was holding her son, who did not have hair and was probably awaiting a procedure. He was fast asleep. He was probably 5 years old.

Anyway, he started to cry shortly after I started to play. I quickly remembered how we were taught to find the tone of the patient's cry or moan and match it. This helps to establish that "WE HEAR YOU!" and it is acknowledgment from us on their behalf that they are scared, in pain, or just wanting to be heard. I managed to find the tone (which was E minor) and played the basic chord, sometimes switching and harmonizing. They proceeded to carry the child past me and I kept playing those notes. He then went into the treatment room. The mother came out and I asked her if he was ok and she mentioned something about him falling asleep again...rather quickly.

I have no idea if my chords and tone-matching were working for him, but it was kind of strange with how that connected with my dream only the night before and also provided me an opportunity to practice my technique we learned at school.

What is willing to meet you?

 Fall Fashion Week for Hospital Masks. Nothing has changed this year.

Ugh. Flu shots. Not a fan. Usually, hospital settings require employees and volunteers to get flu shots, or give an alternative of wearing a mask. So be prepared! Those masks can be annoying and I'm sure it would pass for Halloween and the month of October, but I really didn't want to wear that thing for 6 months. I don't whiten my teeth for nothing!

So what's up with the blog title? It's actually a sort of mantra that IHTP uses when asking yourself "What is willing to meet me?" when you are in a harp therapist role. So I did this yesterday, and sometimes found my feet taking me to the outdoor setting that I hadn't played at yet. Or, I got a feeling to follow this lady to the waiting room and play there.

Even while I'm playing, I'm constantly thinking..."Is that enough? Should I move on? I've got 4 other places to be at!" but no, I stayed where I was, and then finished my session for the day. I need to listen to these hunches and use my intuition and not be worried if I didn't play for the lady in the restroom.

CHALLENGE: One of the volunteers in the hospital loves to come up and chat with me while I'm playing and HOVER. I cannot stand hovering. I know I will eventually get used to it, but seeing her over-drawn pink lipstick is just too close. I felt the stress bunch up in my body...and it was a challenge to let it go and get over my "Ack she is analyzing my hand position!" thoughts. (Edit: she has actually become one of my biggest supporters now and I don't mind the hovering one bit...)

INVISIBLE: I have noticed that there are certain types of people that are just not on the same wavelength as the harp or the music. In large hallways, they don't even notice or look at the harp as it passes by them. They don't stop to hear the music. I can feel their self-absorbed-ness regarding work, stress, and their lives. It is true that mostly children and the elderly are most responsive...but I can tell the ones that it does reach even if they don't want to bother me. Like the random black guy who did a pirouette by me.

CRAVING: Chocolate and bedside harp playing. Both at the same time is fine with me. I can tell that my playing in waiting rooms is not satisfying my bedside harp therapy needs. I'm not sure when the hospital will allow me to do this just yet, so I want to look into volunteering at a hospice. I'll keep you updated.

WINGS: What's up with everyone wanting me to wear wings in the hospital? I mean, fine for Halloween, but yeah...what are your thoughts on this? Is it too "Oh please, she thinks she's an angel!" or "Haha, that's funny, but it's not Halloween."