Maybe not all of these emotions feel great at the time, but there is something that is trying to get OUT of us and THROUGH to us during emotional times, I believe. The older I have gotten, the more that I have come to accept - even embrace my emotions. I have also developed my ability to manage those emotions so that they do not negatively effect relationships most of the time. This isn't a long post about emotions or emotional intelligence, it is meant to be a simple sharing of two raw emotions I experienced in the last few months that felt great. Both were ignited by the "arts".
I was painting the guestroom and thought it would be a great time to catch up on some movies. I flipped through Netflix and found some movies that I had seen before, but really wanted to see again. It's not because they are academy award winners or have great acting or even have great stories - I just LIKE them.
Happy Gilmore - LAUGH RIGHT OUT LOUD
Burbs - LAUGH TO THE POINT OF SNORTING
A Star Is Born - CRY REAL TEARS, GET THE TISSUES KIND OF CRYING
It felt so good to just let it go!
The other experience was at a Peter Gabriel concert. This is the first time I have seen him in concert, and I will gladly go and see him until either he stops touring or I am too old to get to a concert. I LOVE HIM! He writes words and music that are like no other artist I’ve ever heard! There was a point when he sat at the grand piano and sang a version of "Don’t Give Up" that was beyond description. All I could do was lay my head on my husband's shoulder, close my eyes and let that beauty wash over me and seep into me. I felt tears running down my cheeks; not because I was sad or happy - I was just feeling something absolutely beautiful and it felt great to let myself feel it.
I don't know that I have anything powerful to say about this; I simply felt I wanted to share it. There was a time in my life when I was too careful about hiding my emotions - too worried about what others might think. I am very grateful that I have gotten past that. They are my emotions and my body's physiological response to something and I'm going to own it and enjoy it! It is quite liberating!
I guess my hope for you is to embrace those times when you feel strong emotions; you can't always analyze them or come to a logical conclusion about what is going on, but they are a part of you and there is purpose there. I know that I felt almost cleansed after 2 days of emotional release - ready to go out and have more experiences that will generate more emotions!