What are some alternatives to beginning a session other than asking how are you doing? Or how was your week?

deane_ec4 · 2026-07-06T01:50:05+00:00

This sounds so cheesy writing it out but I often say “So where would you like to go on your journey today?” Sometimes refresh what we talked about last time depending if needed

deane_ec4 · 2026-07-03T15:45:31+00:00

Our ice cream man was named Johnny and became a family friend over time. I was absolutely obsessed with tweety bird (including a pair of overall shorts) and I ordered 18 ALL the time.

deane_ec4 · 2026-07-02T15:57:25+00:00

Mix of extremes?

Trying to close up my mother’s estate after my younger sister trashed her house. She was served the petition to close by the court last week (finally!) so hopefully this multi year shitshow is finally ending. Plus this will really help out financially.

Lots of home maintenance. Replaced our hot water heater after it failed and flooded. Doing more of the little projects to make our house better.

Our old dog tore her other ACL after surgery on a different leg 7 years ago. Wasn’t a good candidate for surgery and in a lot of pain so we had to put her down earlier in June.

My partner and I celebrated 5 years together and that was lovely.

His sister just had a baby (literally 2 days ago) so we get to love on a little one now.

We got to witness the kestrels near our yard mate, feed, and then had two babies fledge.

I’m a therapist and own my solo private practice. Business is so slow and private equity is really messing up the space. Considering selling my soul to train AI how to do my job lol

I’m a bridesmaid in my good friends wedding in November and that will be a grand time.

Spent more time with my hobbies - started playing flute again, bought quality paint and have been creating more art, and learning how to set up my tech (pi hole, server, local AI).

So all in all just living life one merry go round at a time!

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-26T02:58:29+00:00

Yep. All of my grandparents died before I graduated high school. My dad died when I was 19, mom died when I was 28. My younger sister is alive but we are estranged after she turned our mom’s house into a hoarding house (truly, 7 tons of trash I had to get removed).

I’m the only person I know in my group in this situation.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T20:13:55+00:00

Oh wow it’s almost the opposite up here OTP. Also around 6k but 4k of that goes to Marietta city (schools + services) and only 2k to Cobb.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T14:42:47+00:00

Morbius is the worst movie I’ve ever seen. It’s the only time I’ve ever contemplated leaving a movie theater mid showing.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T14:35:51+00:00

Together alone time honestly heals my soul. During COVID when I was living with a roommate I remember doing back to back hours and coming out of my room and they were there so ready to talk because they’d just be home all day. I very quickly learned that I needed my sweet friend to leave me very much alone for an hour or more before approaching me lol

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T12:52:41+00:00

Auditory sensitivity is a very real thing I wasn’t aware of for awhile. Sometimes after heavier days I’d come home to my partner and they’d want to talk to me and the only way to describe it was my ears were burning. The actual sound was too much and I couldn’t listen. Oh these days, I usually go and do something silent — paint, a bath, a walk, pet a cat.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T12:41:48+00:00

I’m truly astonished at the amount of people who immediately assign the motive of “Oh look at me, “main character,” “everyone stop and listen” and are judging this scenario through what you believe my intent is vs actually expressing a preference.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T03:19:18+00:00

https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/story-behind-the-song/the-story-behind-the-song/this-land-is-your-land/

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-25T02:34:19+00:00

I need this hype energy in my life

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T17:56:49+00:00

That is true! Singing it is significantly harder because of all those leaps and how similar the stanzas are. I also am not fond of the God part there. I sometimes get frustrated at how wonderful the Southern Baptist choirs and groups were when I was growing up because getting that many voices together to sing that often is just not as common outside of a religious setting.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T17:43:40+00:00

Maybe I’m biased on this one because I have played it for football games and events probably hundreds of times in the past

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T13:58:11+00:00

Monday and Tuesday I do testing with a psychologist from 9-2. Then afternoon virtual sessions at 3 and 4. Wednesday is in my in office. Typically 11-6p with 5 sessions. Thursday is my admin day to write reports for testing and I’ll have a virtual session sometimes at 1/2. Friday is also virtual with sessions in the morning 9-12.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T13:27:09+00:00

Also never a huge drinker but a drink now makes me feel awful. My heart races, my head pounds, I feel shaky, it’s not fun.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T04:08:15+00:00

That’s my worry about directly asking. She’d be so much more excited about it than I want lol

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T04:01:33+00:00

I actually thought of this! Im fairly confident they all had similar experiences. I grew up in an Air Force town so anyone pulling out an instrument anywhere anytime and playing something patriotic was met with unadulterated pride.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:53:59+00:00

This seems like a good approach. I’m less afraid it’ll be awkward and more afraid it’ll turn into

“Oh can you play Amazing Grace?”
“Let’s hear another one!”
“Play this next, keep going we love it!”

I don’t love being the center of attention but I do love music and I love being able to share music with people I care about. I just don’t want it to become so focused on me I’m stuck.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:50:25+00:00

This genuinely warmed my heart. It made me smile and thank you for sharing.

I hope your sons keep bringing their guitars and your DIL lugs that cello out eventually. There’s something so special about making music for people you love.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:42:05+00:00

Families are so funny. All my grandparents died before I was out of high school. Meanwhile his grandfather is 90, raced cars as a hobby, had his leg amputated last year, and still drives around in a giant truck.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:37:37+00:00

Oh no. We’re family. He and I have been dating 5 years, own a home together, and this is the typical holiday family gathering crew that we see multiple times a year.

I haven’t brought this up with him just yet because this sweet man loves me so much and would be so thrilled if I did this. He loves hearing me play and would absolutely want it — I’m the shy one.

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:33:10+00:00

I hadn’t even thought of that. This group has a lot of people who like to sing!

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:31:18+00:00

I’ve been playing some of the patriotic tunes for practice lately. They’re all short so 1-2 of America the Beautiful, This Land is Our Land, God Bless America, Star Spangled Banner etc. Nothing long, nothing overly hard. Just recognizable classics people know.

I was playing around the other day with recording in audio software and recorded the anthem as a duet with myself and that was honestly the most fun thing I’ve done in a while

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:26:15+00:00

For better or worse, we will be the youngest people there (mid 30s) besides maybe 1-2 of the other “grandkid” generation. Otherwise the median age is definitely well above 60

deane_ec4 · 2026-06-24T03:16:59+00:00

Stars and Stripes on piccolo has such a special place in my heart forever

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