Do the Tighten Up baby!

This picture makes me dizzy.

My clients are conspiring to feel well and cancel appointments in favor of other, more positive activities. Since I'm not worrying about how much I bill, I can relax about it and take advantage of a whole Saturday. Sessions on a Saturday morning are really a pleasure. That said, every touchy feely needs a day off once in a while. Families tend to prioritize therapy out this way because they like the security of working with me. At the same time, things are really going well and so wouldn't you really rather watch football than address conflict? Works for me.

I always try to do a "discharge" meeting, though. It's good to get folks to state clearly what they think is working. We all have little signals we send our selves when we start to feel stress and begin to act they way we inevitably act when we begin to lose balance. It's good to clearly state how we think we'll know this is happening. Then, because folks want to be "fixed" and there's no such thing, we rename the discharge a "consultation phase." This makes it fair to check in, ask for a "booster" session. Thus we make room for the next fascinating conundrum, and Sam is endlessly entertained.

I mean this with all respect. There is little in this world more fascinating and inspiring than the therapeutic process. It's a real privilege to get to do it, and when I'm fascinated and absorbed in the process I'm entertained.

How about these shots? I call this series "Cedar Rapids for the Iowa Citian." My take on what denizens of the Athens of the Midwest think when they ponder my fair city.

One of my co-workers pulled me aside and shared a concern yesterday. During our staff meeting I had waxed expansive regarding an incoming corps member who was overcoming difficulties and I gave away more information to my co-workers than was necessary. Allison very discreetly pointed this out, and I thanked her for it. I joke about how many ethics credits I have but ethics is a tricky think. Ethics are a tricky things.

I didn't identify anyone by name, and a case could be made that the details I disclosed would help our empathetic co-workers to better appreciate what some of our incoming corps members are facing. It wasn't my information, though and I shouldn't have shared it in such a way that my co-workers could figure out who was whom. Who. Thus each and every day, just when we need it, we get to dance the "Tighten Up." That really was a dance and there was a song that went with it. I could stand to do the Tighten Up on a regular basis.

It's a good thing when a younger colleague calls you out appropriately. It's a good thing to acknowledge a legitimate concern and adjust one's modus operandi. Operandus. In such ways is trust built.

As I got up to serve my primary function in life, to facilitate the ingress and/or egress of dogs, I noticed a hairy frost in the early morning light. I put on some shoes and joined the dogs out in the snowy yard. It's looking like a pretty good day.

This is what Cedar Rapids looks like to me this morning. Enjoy the frost and the light.