Every day of our lives we stand in waist-high surf as waves roll towards us.  Some days the waves are gentle and warm and caress us as they flow around us.  Some days the waves are angry and harsh, bitterly cold, battering and smashing into us.

If we brace ourselves against the stormy waves, they crash into us fiercely, sometimes knocking us backwards and off our feet, even tossing us underwater, rolling down to the sand, as we gasp for air.

If we relax and accept, bending our knees to tuck under these waves, still upright, the waves move us back a few feet, where we can stand again. We can dance with these waves, never letting them knock us over, knowing we’ll be able to breathe …. and they might even move us to a better place on the sand.

.    .    .   .    .    .    .    .     .    .   .   .   .   .    .

And so it is with our emotions. Bad things are going to happen to us. They are part of life. Years ago, I used to bury my feelings deep down inside, where they battered me from within. Now I embrace my feelings, whether they be sorrow or pain or anguish. I let them wash over me and I LIVE them at that moment, accepting that they are part of my journey, and knowing that they are only temporary and happiness is my natural state.