Happy? Unhappy?
A deceptively complex question. Emotions are not simple, particularly with all we are experiencing and witnessing today. How many of us can answer it directly, without qualifying or second guessing, without a hint of guilt or internal dissonance? Are those even the words you’d use?
“Happy” isn’t the word I’d use, and neither is “unhappy”. Currently, I feel joy, and it’s wrapped up in heartbreak, anxiety, hope, skepticism, anger, awe, love, and appreciation. It’s a symphony of emotion that I am, we all are, walking around with everyday.
Navigating, naming, and engaging with emotion can make a difference. For me, it can impact whether I accomplish my day’s work or not, whether I connect with my people or not, whether I creatively engage with what’s in front of me or not. And the list goes on.
Emotions are hardly simple. And the process of coaching has taught me to pay closer attention to how I feel…not so I can spend time constantly unpacking and navel-gazing, but rather so I can make better decisions, and clearly see others and what’s ahead. So that I can be present in the moment, attempting to experience each second fully.
Why? Because I want to enjoy this stage of my kids life, the place in history that we find ourselves, the soft fur of my pup, the fragrant mixture of my husbands cooking, and the fall leaves chattering as they connect with the ground. All of this is taking place simultaneously, if I can be HERE.
Of course, it takes practice to tune in and acknowledge emotions without judgment (more on that in a later post), and once you do, you realize understanding what emotions are present lights the path toward, for me, creative buoyancy and grace.
“Grace means that all of your mistakes serve a purpose, instead of serving shame.”
So, how are you? What are you feeling? What else is there? Where does your path lead? Do you want to uncover what’s there? I’d love to work with you!
