Spring always makes me think of new beginnings. The melting of snow brings fresh flowers and the chance to finally put away the heavy winter coat. The changing of seasons shows how a different perspective can make a huge difference, it can turn a street of slippery ice and snow into the road less traveled on the way to vacation!  

For as much time as OTPs and OT/OTA students spend reading articles and textbooks, and writing research; we can also benefit from being reminded of the value of our profession through a different lens. The poem and short story that you read below express the values of occupational therapy in a refreshing light! 

Thank you to all those who submitted their creative writing. It was so inspiring to read about what occupational therapy meant to you. 

“Coolest Thing I’ve Learned This Week”

It’s week one of my OTA program and already I see the importance of occupation all around me— sometimes in the most unlikely of places.  In addition to my new role as an OTA student, I work as a biology tutor at our local community college.  This week, a student came in looking for help with their meteorology homework.  I know nothing about meteorology, but since it’s the beginning of the semester and there is currently no one else in our tutoring lab, I offered her assistance.  (I’ve heard rumors that it is a quality of OTP’s to struggle staying within their domain).  I’m so glad I did because in the hour I worked with her, I learned something so cool, I laid in bed that night marveling at how basic science truths cross over into multiple realms of our lives.

After explaining some graphs and some images to the student, we learned there are 4 basic layers in the atmosphere: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.  The troposphere is the one we live and breathe in, while the thermosphere would be the last layer of atmosphere on Earth before outer space.  Then comes the question that really strikes my curiosity:

In the thermosphere, the temperature can be as high as 4000 degrees F.  And yet, if you happened to be floating around up there, you would freeze.  Explain.

Perhaps you are thinking this answer is obvious.  For me, a consultation with Google was in order.  First, we looked up what exactly temperature was measuring.  Turns out, temperature does not measure heat, but instead measures how fast molecules are moving.  Next, we looked up what exactly heat is.  Heat is a transfer of energy.  Heat is only released when one particle hits another.  You may have guessed our answer now— since there are so few particles of gas in the thermosphere, they don’t bump into each other enough to release any amount of relevant heat.

So how on Earth could I relate this to my growing but *very basic* understanding of OT?  As I lay in my bed that night, I kept thinking about how much potential those particles of gas zipping around the thermosphere have.  Moving around at speeds that equate somehow to 4000 degrees F, they are overflowing with potential to transfer heat to another molecule— but they are lacking the interaction or connection to make that happen.  My mind cannot help but compare that lack of heat transfer to a missed opportunity for one of our clients to interact with life through their occupations.  Because of limitations facing them, they may struggle to have as many opportunities to connect with life as they have previously had.  

My name is Jeri Gradecki.  In my life, I hope to be blessed to run into as many “particles” as I can and “transfer heat” all of my days.   As a COTA, I intend to help others experience the same.  

Jeri Gradecki

COTA 

“LOVE” 

Love yourself

Love the opportunity to change things about yourself

But most importantly

Love the things about yourself that you can not change.

Dawn Brandau

COTA/L

“I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty.” Edgar Allen Poe. Field of small yellow flowers under a dark blue sky.