ON FEELINGS

I'm not good at sharing my feelings intentionally. Often, people can gather my reaction through facial expressions and the like, but in terms of sharing the specifics of what's going on inside me...nuh uh. Even my closest friends aren't going to get the real deal most of the time (the operative word being most).

I also don't drink alcohol at all. Some would say that if I did, my feelings would be expressed more often, more vociferously, and probably less eloquently. But - and bear with me here, I do have a point - some would also qualify that too much alcohol can serve as a poison. (I work on a college campus, and the phrase "alcohol poisoning" is used altogether too often for people who are supposed to be future leaders.) So, sometimes, when a person has too much alcohol in their system, they vomit, ridding their stomach of this poison (along with whatever they've eaten that day...and often in hallways). In fact, when a person swallows something poison, ipecac syrup is prescribed as an emetic, so that the affected person will rid their system of the poison (by vomiting).

The parallel is this: negative emotions are my alcohol. They are my poison. I swallow them, save them up, then every once in a while, I find myself "emotionally vomiting" all over the place. And, like my students, I occasionally get (emotional) vomit all over my friends' shoes. Maybe their car doors. Maybe I act out in public. Maybe it negatively impacts my physical health. Or I need a friend to hold my (hypothetical) hair back while I spew chunks of negativity all over the place. Okay, me having enough hair to hold back damages the metaphor...but I love the phrase "emotional vomit." I think I'm going to trademark it.

I guess the lesson I'm taking from my recent bout of emotional upchuckery is this: just like with alcohol, moderation is the key. If I am upset or bothered about something, it shouldn't stay in my system for too long.

I didn't want today's post to be all negative, so, to brighten the mood, please see the below picture of a red panda. They're adorable!