Emotional

"Living well is not about being calm; it is about being present. Practice just being present with your emotions without reacting to them. Notice how they come and go." Judith Lasater

Some days are more emotional than others. Yesterday a friend said, I just feel emotional today. Earlier this week another friend, I've just been crying on and off all day, and it feels good. And yet another friend, I'm tired of feeling emotional all the time. This morning, my 9 year old was in tears, completely dramatic over a spelling test he hadn't prepared for. A full out toddler-like fit of tears. 

Ally Marie,
contagious laughter @ Love & Service retreat

Heightened by lack of sleep or circumstances beyond our control... sometimes it just takes one small thing to trigger an emotional release... tears or laughter. In our partner yoga class this week, as the minutes flew, my students seemed to get more and more comfortable with each other and laughed easily when their arm got caught t

wisting the wrong way or with something as ordinary as a stomach growling. Suddenly, the church giggles 

erupted

. (You know when you laugh in church for no reason when everyone else seems to be worshipful and quiet?) 

Expressions of tears and laughter IS being in the present moment. It's our body's way of telling us it's come to the edge, and it can longer hold it inside. It is what we are feeling in that very moment. The spilling over of what we were containing in our hearts that we could no longer hoard, but out of necessity and sometimes preservation of sanity are able to let go of. I think when we are constantly training ourselves to not react to our emotions, they have the potential to build inside or sometimes seep out in destructive ways. The secret is in how we act on our emotions... I think the tears and spontaneous laughter came because they were released in an emotionally safe place. And, in that sense, they were raw displays of what our hearts were saying at the time.

My heart is full and at this point, I'm ready to laugh or cry. I'm not particular, whichever one comes first is fine.