It is not the best of days when five out of six Taylers end up yelling, crying, or both. We weren’t even mad or sad at each other, rather family members carried it with them when the returned to the house, and then there was the odd pocket of grief tripped over at an unexpected moment. Stress from one of Kiki’s school classes required tears and sorting. Link needed to hear some sharp words about meeting the efforts of others half way instead of expecting people to spend effort trying to understand him where he is. Gleek was wound up with frantic emotions fed by insecurities and manifesting alternately in rowdiness or anger. Howard and I did not manage all of this without losing our patience. Yet for all the emotional turmoil that yesterday spilled everywhere, it was a good day. It was not a fun day. I don’t ever want to have it again. But at the end of it we all emerged in different emotional places. Those of us who weathered the emotional storms emerged with new insights into ourselves and each other. Hard can be good, even if it is no fun at all.
Lessons learned:
Sometimes struggling through a hard thing is what we need because the experience of struggling teaches things that we can not learn otherwise.
If we want understanding, we have to extend it.
When someone goes into a litany of how they are ugly, untalented, horrible, unfashionable, etc. no amount of argument will change their opinion. Sometimes the best thing to say is “I love you anyway.”
There are things we don’t realize we want until we are sad that the opportunity for them is passed.
Friends make the world better.
Today was something of an aftermath day. When emotions spill all over the place it takes time to pick up and move onward. Extra sleep, good food, friends, and laughter put things to rights again.