So excited about OT Practice…yayyyyyyyyy

Tomorrow, the February 4th edition of OT Practice comes out. I'm excited because the last page should be my column, “Reflections from the Heart”. I basically wrote about how we're taught we need a balance of occupations while in school, yet get bogged down with our education. We forget that we are actually LUCKY to be stressed about this work – it's better than starving in a third-world country or being a soldier somewhere far away. And that we need to remember to back off and chill out at times and remember our “issues” are not that major, in the scheme of things. The article started out as a blog post I made one day after sitting out in the garden and zen-ning to some flute music. Normally I don't get a ton of comments, but I got a lot of response to that post, and realized I had hit a nerve (a good nerve!). So I submitted it to OT Practice and was happy when it got accepted. I've been waiting for months to see it in print. I've been joking that maybe it will be pre-empted by some other BREAKING OT NEWS story since that would be really disappointing! Hopefully it will be in the mailbox, no major errors, waiting for me in the mailbox within the next few days. My blog is mentioned at the bottom and I'm also excited about that, because I really like the idea that people are benefitting from my blogging – whether it is to laugh, think of something in a new light, try to contribute something to help others, or find a way to network. There really aren't that many OT resources, especially personalized ones, out there on the Internet. If I can be a bridge between OTs, OTs and students, OTs and administration, OTs and our consumers, okay you get the point, then I'm thrilled. I think OT is truly the neatest profession in the ENTIRE WORLD and wish everyone knew how awesome it can be – very few realize the potential of OT to change so many lives in so many diverse ways. Hopefully good ones, of course, LOL.

I try to write in this blog frequently, typically multiple times a day, because I get so many ideas I can't wait to share them. Some are stupid, some are enlightening, some are funny, some are completely random. I also put up pictures whenever I can. And the occasional video. I do a lot of rambling, but I also try to share the “glory” of OT.

Not to toot my own horn or anything (toot toot) but I think reading the blog archives could be helpful – I've written about many diverse topics over the last 6 months and have made over 400 posts now. Which is scary, even to me. But 99% of the time, I'm posting because of the excited ideas in my brain, so I guess, well, I have a lot of ideas. The things coming up in this geriatric-focused semester include a lot of Tai Chi research, therapeutic media groups aimed at elders, managing an OT department, and more fun. It's the most fun I've ever had in my life. Is it bad if I say I sometimes skim through the OT book and wish I could just memorize the entire book and go around and like help everyone in the world? I'm like Mother Theresa, only a lot more selfish and not intimately familar with leprosy and well, okay, I'm more your average grad student who has a passion for OT and I should be struck by lightning.

I'm including some pictures I borrowed off Facebook from a sweet girl, Abby, in the new MOT Class of 2010. They started this January and are currently taking gross anatomy (aptly named), and have spent a lot of time with skeletons lately. Gotta love it.

So…read up on archives, as unless I get wildly excited (90% probability though), I might not post again until Wednesday. Gotta get those midterms under my belt!