The Best of 2018 | Therapy Trails
There is something about the end of a year (and beginning of another) that makes you become reflective, and almost sentimental. Therapy Trails may still be in our “humble-beginnings” phase, but we are so thankful for every little blessing that has been thrown our way. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
So, here we are. 2018 has come and gone. We have a habit of always looking forwards to the future, and we can’t wait for what 2019 holds. But.. walk with us down memory lane, or as we like to call it memory trails (get it?).
Ready? Ok. Let’s go.
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Our Doors Open
It all started with a girl and a dream.
Ah, who am I kidding. It was a lot more complicated than that! And don’t fool yourself to think that Therapy Trails is the result of only one person’s efforts. There is a countless amount of people who have held a small and even large part in the start-up of Therapy Trails. And for these people, we will all be forever grateful. So, thanks to all of these people, Therapy Trails was able to open its doors in March 2018. Since then, there has been no “small” milestone that hasn’t been celebrated, including our half-anniversary! Our motto has been: Any excuse to celebrate is a good excuse to celebrate!
Meeting New Kids & Their Families
This job has given us the incredible opportunity to get to know some pretty amazing kids. And their families are pretty awesome too. Each week, we are celebrating someone’s birthday, welcoming a new baby to their family, or congratulating them on school achievements. I mean, how cool is it that we are able to be a part of this?! We are thankful that these families choose to let us in on just a small part of their lives. After getting to know our families, we can honestly say that we hang out with some of the best people… and we get to call it “work”! Now it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, because the hardest part of all of this is when we say good-bye to kids and their families. Between families moving and kids graduating from therapy, we sometimes find ourselves hugging our patients and sending them on their way. Instead of saying “good-bye”, we just choose to say “to be continued.” At least we can say that we now have friends all over the country, right?
Getting Involved With The Community
Therapy Trails occupies a small piece of property on Wrightsboro Road in Grovetown, Georgia. But we don’t want to be limited to these four walls. Sometimes we need get out where we have no walls and fresh air! We have enjoyed participating in local events in the CSRA, even when some of them left us with dirty hands. (Yes, a mud pit was our own choice…#SorryNotSorry) We’ve given out our fair share of popsicles, frisbees, bubbles, stickers, and dirt. Have we mentioned the mud pit yet? By doing these events, we have met more people than we could have ever met just staying at 5176 Wrightsboro Road.
Our families have also helped us contribute to the community by donating an insane amount of food to a local food bank for Christmas. Remember how I said that we work with some pretty amazing kids and families. Yea, this is just one reason why. Hearts of gold, I tell ya!
Growing Our Work Family
On Day 1, we started with a full-time speech therapist, a part-time occupational therapist, and one office administrator. This was the perfect combination of people and personalities. However, after only a few months, we quickly realized that Therapy Trails needed to grow in order to match the incoming need. So, gradually, one therapist was added, each at their perfect timing. We ended 2018 with 3 speech therapists, 3 occupational therapists, and 2 office administers. And just like that, we all went from strangers to family. We are thankful and #blessed that we are able to work and play well with each other. Our breakroom quickly became the hub where many laughs (and meals) are shared because we love to eat and we love to talk (I mean, half of us are speech therapists, so can you blame us?)
Having More Fun Than We Could Ever Ask For
You know you work with some pretty awesome people when you don’t have to find fun. Fun finds you.
As a staff, we have found fun through Friendsgiving, a visit from Santa, Sonic drink runs, candle making, and sharing lunches (Wednesday soup sign-up, anyone?).
As a clinic, we have found fun through coffee and donut days, milestone celebration (looking at you, half-anniversary), parent appreciations, and surprises throughout all the seasons!
As therapists and patients, we have found fun through learning new games, doing some pretty cool crafts, and showing off all of our newly learned skills.
What a wild ride it has been, but we have truly enjoyed the process (and the learning curve!). If 2018 was this fun, we cannot wait to see what this next year holds. Stay tuned…
