Lessons from the Bedside

An Ode to Healing Harmony:

Lessons from the Bedside

A Journey of Struggle, Purpose, and Connection

On December 31, 2024, New Year’s Eve -- the eve of Lessons from the Bedside going live on Apple Books -- I’m reflecting on the whirlwind year that brought this book to life. 2024 was a year of profound challenges. What started as something minor quickly escalated to worst-case scenario. In a moment, everything shifted. Suddenly, I had physical and emotional hurdles that tested my sense of purpose and identity.

For years, bedside harp has felt like my calling. It’s not just something I do — it’s something every experience in my life has seemed to prepare me for. It’s never been just about playing music. It’s about listening — truly listening — to the patient, the family, the environment, and responding in a way that’s as fluid as it is intuitive. It’s about improvising in the moment, creating something that is as fleeting as it is meaningful. When the harp suddenly felt out of reach — when I didn’t know if I’d ever feel my harp against my shoulder — the loss felt immeasurable.

As I worked through the ups and downs of treatment, I began to reflect deeply on the essence of what I do. I came to understand that it was never about the technical act of playing the harp. What truly mattered was the connection — between myself and the patient, between the sound and the silence, between what is visible or heard and what is felt deeply in the soul.

That understanding became the foundation of this book. As I navigated the emotions of recovery, I turned to art as a way to process what I was experiencing. My first concepts of these lessons were raw — my character trying to adapt, trying to play the harp from an unfamiliar angle, feeling both determined and vulnerable. Those earlier images mirrored the larger process of relearning, of stepping into discomfort that I struggled to reframe with hope. I revisited the work of Dr. Seligman from my undergrad days, listening to his lectures in a Foundations of Positive Psychology specialization offering through the University of Pennsylvania. From there, I started working toward creating images and narratives that captured not just the struggles but also the unexpected beauty and growth that arose. Every drawing and every character in this book holds meaning. They reflect lessons in resilience, in vulnerability, and in the quiet power of presence.

I talked about some of these ideas in the 2nd edition of HOME, but I felt compelled to organize and expand my reflections into their own book. Writing An Ode to Healing Harmony: Lessons from the Bedside became a way to rediscover what lies at the heart of my bedside work. It’s about so much more than music. It’s about stepping into a dynamic, ever-changing space and responding with empathy and attunement. It’s about meeting people in their pain, their joy, or their uncertainty, and creating a moment of shared meaning—one that might last only minutes but can resonate for a lifetime.

This book is deeply personal but also necessary. I wrote it not just for myself, but for my fellow CTMs, for my mentees, and for anyone who has faced challenges that threatened to take away what they hold most dear. My hope is that it inspires others to reflect on their own calling and to find new ways to connect with the world around them, even when life feels unsteady.

As this year comes to a close and this book begins its own journey, I feel immense gratitude—for the struggle, the growth, and the chance to share this work with you. Life rarely unfolds as we expect, but it’s in those moments of uncertainty that we often find our deepest clarity.

Lessons from the Bedside is my way of honoring the connections that music, art, and presence make possible. It’s a celebration of what it means to show up, to adapt, and to create meaning in the moment. I hope it resonates with you and reminds you that even in the hardest times, there is beauty waiting to be discovered.