Saturday, August 24, 2013

is there a "right" way to feel?



Tonight I drove home, rain splattering the windshield and tears spilling down my cheeks, after a day filled with too many goodbyes. Of course, one goodbye is too many. But today was my last day of work, and saying goodbye to those girls (though I do expect to see them again) and then another one of my exceptional friends off to serve the Lord, I thought, I can not do this ONE more time. Goodbyes are difficult, exhausting, and heartbreaking.

and yet there are so many more emotions that coincide with every minute of everyday, and as a result if I were to mix together the emotions of my evening and pour them out I can assure you, they would flood a swimming pool.

Excited, unsatisfied, overwhelmed, frustrated, confused, lonely, disappointed, nostalgic..  


Missing my friends
Excited for missionaries
Unsatisfied with letters
Nauseous with the stress of moving
Overwhelmed by the idea of college
Frustrated because I don't feel like I'm feeling the way I should 

how exactly am I supposed to feel? 

The tears, although derived partly from the sadness I felt from the goodbyes, were very much tears of frustration, confusion, and pure exhaustion. 


Every time I feel an emotion my brain frantically tries to find the cause, then it calculates the cause adds my knowledge of life and tells me how I should be feeling.


Happy that friends are leaving on missions.

Happy when I receive a letter.
Happy that I have friends at all.
Happy that I am alive.
Happy that life is how it is.

I should be grateful, and trust me, I am. 


But it's occurring to me that there are a heck of a lot more emotions that go into each moment in our lives, and they are not wrong. 


Feeling sad when a friend leaves is sad. No matter what they're doing. 


Receiving a letter in exciting, but it can still be unsatisfying, regardless of who it's from. 


Moving out and going to college is a great adventure, but it can be overwhelming. 


There is no "correct feeling" for every situation. 

But the question never does seem to truly leave me, 

How am I supposed to feel?

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