Not Enough Rocks

My favorite scene from "Forrest Gump." Sometimes, we just need someone to sit  with us wherever we are right then, and acknowledge this. ~~GH

[Tomorrow: Postcards from Clarence] New!!!

I'm Mad as Hell

When did we become so terrified of feeling/experiencing our emotions? When was it deemed dangerous to acknowledge anger? Anger is as natural as breathing, but we as a society have learned to suppress our anger. It is as effective as suppressing our breathing; it MUST come out, or we will die.

I am not advocating ACTING ON our angry feelings. Don't go out and punch the guy next door or drive across the median on your way home from work. I am encouraging us to give ourselves permission to FEEL angry and know we won't suddenly burst into flames or go to hell for it. 

We invest a tremendous amount of energy into pushing our [natural] angry feelings back into the dark corners of our brains where they fester and seek an outlet. Since we locked the exit, the anger bounces around inside and does damage. I visualize it as a grenade. Shrapnel everywhere, collateral harm. Or steam. Steam builds and requires release. It needs an outlet because eventually, it WILL explode.

Trust me, there's lots more room out here than inside. Once those feelings hit the light of day, they are more manageable. Just admitting you feel angry lets off some of that heat, dissipates some steam, relieves some tension.

Don't make love to your anger, either. Don't take it out and pet it. Don't make it into a mantra. Don't worship at its feet. It does not control you unless you give yourself to IT. It is a normal, healthy part of YOU, like hunger or desire. YOU manage your anger; it does not control you.

If you don't know how to manage your anger, don't suppress it. Read about anger management, go to a class, get some counseling. I once had a tremendous anger management problem. The message I took from anger management classes was to stuff my anger. I did that for years. 

No more. I guess the three points I want to make here are these:

1. It's okay to feel angry.
2. Express (i.e., release in a healthy manner) your anger.
3. Live healthier.

I ♥ you. Feel angry. It's okay. I promise.~~GH

Reach Out, But Not With Rocks

I just wrote the longest, most profound thing of my life and got an error and now it's gone. Trying to recreate.

Sometimes I reach out to others and find I cannot connect, no matter how hard I try. My hand goes right through them, or else suddenly veers to the left or right and misses them completely. And I keep trying until I am weary and sad and then angry. That's when I want to just throw rocks at the others. I mean, what difference does it make, right? The rocks aren't going to connect anyway. But that's the fallacy; the rocks do make contact. The rocks make contact and they hurt the people. And not only do they hurt the people, they anger the people, and cause the people to shut me out on purpose this time instead of incidentally.

And the worst of all is, some people live their entire lives like this, not connecting with others although they desparately try. They are magnets turned the wrong way somehow. They push to connect but are always repelled. And they become hurt and then angry and push harder, are repelled just as hard, and they can't understand why.

There is a rift in the fabric of the Universe that causes these disconnective episodes. I don't pretend to understand the purpose of them; for me, it is enough to know they are temporary and I live in confidence knowing I will eventually connect again. But for some of our brothers and sisters, there is no such assurance. And they throw rocks. So if someone sits and throws rocks at you, instead of throwing rocks back throw Grace if you possibly can. Then be thankful you aren't stuck on the wrong side of the Universal rift. ~~GHC

Note: You do NOT want to Google "throw rocks." *Shudders*