A Day in the Life of Therapeutic Recreation: Cellos, Choking & Yoga

So yesterday at Therapeutic Recreation, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra String Quartet came to lay some music culture on all the FRIENDS.

They responded by going to sleep.

Because it was sooooo relaxing.

SAW-REE string quartet people.

Actually, not all of them fell asleep, but some did. They, the FRIENDS, got to see and touch all of the instruments. I asked Joshua what he learned and he said, "the instruments are made of hair."

I said, "really? Or just the bows?" He said, "all of them."

He also told Holly that the string quartet people brought violins and a "chel-lode." (cello)

The drama that happened was that one FRIEND got choked on her ham sammich. Joshua said, "I was being the leader and I JUMPED out of my chair to go help her. When Jenni saw ME jump up...SHE jumped up, too, and we were both the leaders."

I asked repeatedly what they did to "help" this poor girl, and he said, "we were the leaders and we jumped up to help."

I said, "I.KNOW.BUT.WHAT.DID.YOU.DO?" 

We talked about how if there was ever a situation like that, the first thing to do was to tell Mrs. Alanna or another "helper" there...to get some instruction. And Joshua said, "IKNOWBUTIMNOTTALKINGABOUTTHATRIGHTNOW."

He finally said that Jenni took the FRIEND to the girl's bathroom and the girl "yakked up her lunch."

Alrighty then.

I guess it's good that Joshua and Jenni were at least aware of the situation and wanted to help. He said that most of the other FRIENDS got scared and ran out of the room...so I guess the moral of the story is that if you choke on your sandwich...you want Joshua and Jenni standing there watching as you yak it up.

*I did ask where Mrs. Alanna was during all of this commotion, and he said that she wasn't in the room...she was in the kitchen warming up her lunch. She waits until all the FRIENDS are done with the microwave before she uses it for herself. So sweet.

They also had YOGA in the afternoon. They always end the session with a mediation/relaxation time. The instructor will come around and rub their feet...which, Joshua says is very relaxing, except that he worries about the fact she is going from person-to-person without washing her hands in-between. Because FEET. So he just asked her to rub his back, and then he said he was so relaxed that he took another little nap.

So, if you're keeping track, I got up at the crack of dawn and drove Joshua into Little Rock to attend his program...where he had a nap, watched someone gag up their lunch...and had another nap.

I love the days when the TR group gets out in public and serves...and everyone gets to see how creative and awesome they are. But I also love the days when it's all about just hanging out and relaxing...because we all need those kinds of days, too.

"Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts." Psalm 90:12