Life has this amazing way of overwhelming us with things we certainly didn’t expect, let alone ask for. However, life also has a way of rewarding us in ways we never thought possible. Life maintains a beautiful and perfect balance, that not too many acknowledge or understand. The best part? It does this balancing act, all on its own, without any assistance needed from us.
At times, we find ourselves overwhelmed, feeling completely defeated with the cards we are dealt. You know what they say: When it rains it pours and pours and pours, until our souls feel similar to something you might find in Seattle in October.
Sometimes, while caught in this emotional storm we often become confused, not by the circumstances at hand, but the emotions themselves that follow. We often find ourselves asking, “What is this I’m feeling and is this normal?”
Some might spend their morning weeping uncontrollably, in their car on the way to work, trying desperately not to mess up their eyeliner in the process. Any woman knows first hand how devastating it is to cry away a perfect eyeliner day, trust me.
The longer we hang on to the emotions and situation that brought them forth, the more they begin to transform. That is when the confusion and questions of our feelings come into play. Suddenly, the woman that was just sobbing in her car that morning, is now on the interstate blocking off an exit, honking furiously and letting the individual that cut her off know just how she feels.
This is the moment that our sadness transforms into anger, most of the time misguided and focused on the wrong person, for all of the wrong reasons. Now, the woman realizing just how many other cars she has held up feels terrible about it. Deciding to move, with her anger been expelled, she settles into the emotion of guilt. All of these emotions mentioned–sadness, anger, and guilt–are known as surface emotions, feelings that are shown but not the root of the cause.
In reality, all emotions, other than two, are surface emotions, simply just our reactions to what we are truly feeling within. We really have the ability to tap into two true emotions, that stem from our situations in life. The rest are simply reactions. In life, there is fear and there is the opposite of that, which is love.
Fear controls the parts of us that dislike the unknown or not having full control over a situation. Although what surfaces from fear usually seems to have more of a negative effect, that isn’t always the case. It can actually be a sign that your troubles and discomfort are near a head, about to come to an end.
One must always remember that just on the other side of what we fear is true bliss. The ability to look directly at what terrifies us and push through it anyway is something that sets our soul on fire. Conquering our own doubt gives one a sense of empowerment. It allows us to know that we are stronger than we think, and we find this strength when being strong is our only choice.
Then, we have love, which brings forth so many beautiful and uninhibited feelings to the surface. Love causes us to hold on just a bit longer when we hug, allows us to open our hearts just a bit more and smile when we think of somebody in particular. Love contributes to contentment, happiness, joy and liberation.
The below interview with Maya Angelou puts pure and genuine love into words. Often hard to describe, Angelou is somehow able to reflect on her relationship with her mother, and you can literally feel the love and bond that they shared. It falls from every word she speaks and shines so brightly through her smile and her eyes.
She allows us to realize just how powerful, and equally necessary, love is. True love, that is. When genuine, and from our souls, it does not boast, it does no harm, and it does not end. It uplifts us, mind, body, and soul, to peaks we never knew we could reach.
That is love. That is liberation and that is what life is all about. We can only be so blessed to experience this at least once in the time we are given to walk this earth. Always choose love.
