Motivation for posts comes from many places – but usually to be fully inspired, I need to be feeling (or in this case not feeling) something, in the moment.
It’ll usually be something like an article that I pass by that sparks an idea or reveals a trend to me…or, some kinda phrase will just stick in my mind abt what I’ve been feeling recently & I’ll work it into a quote. This one, however is one I can’t take any credit for…it’s via the great actor we all know, Denzel Washington.
Not surprising that a guy who has to play characters where he gets deep INTO roles, in order to best play them, sees the world this way. He’s gotta be able to close his eyes before, & feel like his characters would have felt…to become one w them…to be them.
And so outside of acting…isn’t this quote so spot on. The most beautiful things ARE felt…not just seen. And isn’t that a weird comment to be made, on a platform like this, where most everything is visual :)?
But consider our experiences. Even if we see a beautiful sunset- can’t we close our eyes after, & picture “it” & the feelings it gave us? Take visuals out of the equation for a bit. Even when you picture some of the best events of your life, isn’t there a FEELING(S) that the pictures elicit.
I know for me – being at some of the “happiest” (will explain why quotes in a min), moments in my life…yes- I can picture them: the birth of my nieces, meeting my best friends in college, learning I’d made the bball team as a walk-on, getting offer calls for certain jobs in sports, getting a call that we changed someone’s life w our work.
These are all pics but they feel special bc they bring us BACK to great feelings we had, IN the moment. And so why the quotes? The same reason why this line from Denzel grabbed me: for me, & I know for many of you, our MH challenges make it damn hard/near impossible to be able to close our eyes & FEEL those feelings.
For some of us – even the memories are “on a shelf.” For others we can picture them, but the feelings are muted or non existent.
But here’s the thing: I truly believe that trauma “takes up space,” in these emotional brains of ours. That there’s a finite capacity for emotional energy. When it’s been filled w other “stuff,” it’s overwhelmed. But w that idea, here is the uplifting news: we can constantly WORK on releasing & rewiring that trauma energy OUT. Notice the “work & out” in caps. Just like going to the gym where we can shed weight…we too can shed emotional trauma. And that makes room for the good feelings to come back. It’s my motivation to work on it each day. And it is work. And it sucks when we have so much else going on, we gotta fit this work in. But the rewards of getting feelings BACK…close your eyes & picture the beauty!
