bowling for inspiration
i my morning and early afternoon today filling in for the rec therapist at the psychiatric hospital i work for. sunday is bowling group. it's not my favorite group to run. often times, i spend the majority of the group feverishly resetting the pins while hastily scratching down the various scores of the group members. mind you, i am a therapist, not a mathematician.
there is really nothing more surreal than bowling with psychiatric patients. just take a moment to think about what i just wrote and you will understand what i mean.
but aside from the actual stacking of pins and keeping group members from loosing focus, it's really a good group. there is not a whole lot to do on a closed adult psychiatric unit. aside from groups, meds, and visitors, there is a lot of sitting around. socialization with other patients is good, but really, how much can you sit around and talk with strangers? bowling offers an activity. it is physical, but not so rigorous that physically impaired patients cannot participate. i had 3 groups today, 2 with patients in wheelchairs. they both played--and scored better than more than a few able-bodied patients. overall, it was nice. some participants even remarked that it was fun to participate: a pleasant surprise on a drab easter morning away from family.
yeah, today was easter too.
i thought for a moment that i was not going to be attending church. being raised catholic, it had been of importance to my family that i attend mass on easter. but as i mused on this during the drive to work, another thought struck me. i am most at peace when i am conducting therapy. it seems strange, but it's true. i achieve a real sense of flow. really, i am with my higher power (whatever that is) when i am with my clients. sharing their space. helping them find a better quality of life.
my church is interactive. my church is inspiring. my church is everywhere.
there is really nothing more surreal than bowling with psychiatric patients. just take a moment to think about what i just wrote and you will understand what i mean.
but aside from the actual stacking of pins and keeping group members from loosing focus, it's really a good group. there is not a whole lot to do on a closed adult psychiatric unit. aside from groups, meds, and visitors, there is a lot of sitting around. socialization with other patients is good, but really, how much can you sit around and talk with strangers? bowling offers an activity. it is physical, but not so rigorous that physically impaired patients cannot participate. i had 3 groups today, 2 with patients in wheelchairs. they both played--and scored better than more than a few able-bodied patients. overall, it was nice. some participants even remarked that it was fun to participate: a pleasant surprise on a drab easter morning away from family.
yeah, today was easter too.
i thought for a moment that i was not going to be attending church. being raised catholic, it had been of importance to my family that i attend mass on easter. but as i mused on this during the drive to work, another thought struck me. i am most at peace when i am conducting therapy. it seems strange, but it's true. i achieve a real sense of flow. really, i am with my higher power (whatever that is) when i am with my clients. sharing their space. helping them find a better quality of life.
my church is interactive. my church is inspiring. my church is everywhere.