Tomorrow is my birthday! I don't generally get too excited about my birthday anymore, but it is nice to have day where people wish you well and think of you. And then, of course, there is my wonderful husband who always manages to make me feel very special and loved on my birthday.
Shortly after my birthday I will be leaving for the land of the south to visit my brother and his family. I am looking forward to getting a break from the craziness of work and experiencing new things. But there are always challenges that come along with travel. The logistics never seem to work out like you think they will, and, at least for me, emotions can run high from so many changes to schedule and strange surroundings.
Speaking of emotions, I have been contemplating how big a role emotions play in human life. I think we like to think that we are rational creatures most of the time. But I think, more often than not, we let our emotions get the better of us. That can be fine sometimes, but it is not always a good thing. Think of a time when you got in a heated argument and you got so mad that you said hurtful things. Or a time when you just had to have that new item only to get it home and regret spending your money a few days later. Maybe you were having a bad day and you were rude to someone at work only to find out later that the person you were rude to is your new boss. Perhaps you hold onto objects that remind you of special people or experiences, just to have your present life ruined by overwhelming clutter. You could be so sad about the death of your dog that you forget about your other dog who still needs your love and attention.
There are many ways we can let emotions get the better of us, and usually it doesn't do too much damage. But just like anything in life, an excess can be detrimental. Let the clutter build up and you have an unsafe and unhealthy living environment. Buy too many useless items and you run out of money to do the things you really want to do. Neglect your living pet and you run the risk of having them taken away. Say too many hurtful things and you might damage a relationship beyond repair.
There is nothing wrong with being an emotional person. But unless you learn to control them a bit, you may end up with some big problems on your hands. I am definitely not immune to emotional damage. I just tend to hide it better because of my introverted personality. However, I have found that it helps to step away from the situation, if possible, and let the emotions dissipate some. Take the time to set the emotions aside and think rationally about a situation, and you may just save yourself a lot of heartache.
