Everyday Lessons on Emotions
If I had a superpower, it is the ability to unhealthily dwell over a certain emotion that only wanted to drop a quick visit to my heart. Be it happiness, sadness, or anger, I would feel and think deeply over it for an unnecessarily long period of time.
It is something I have been battling with for quite a while, which in turn have had me searching for ways to train myself to be a bit more calm, moderate & relaxed. I have read multiple self-help books, attended talks, signed up for webinars on related topics, but I guess it is something that I will continuously learn throughout my lifetime. I may grasp some useful lessons for a while, and then I’d have to remind myself again three weeks later as I find myself basking in sadness over a series of heartbreaking events. Or even the two nights before that after blurting out a potentially heartbreaking phrase to my child out of another emotion - anger. Time and again, I’d find myself giving self-reminders on ways I should regulate my emotions.
But time and again, I also realize that I don’t quite have to. Because Allah SWT sends His beautiful reminders & the lessons we need to learn in amazingly unexpected ways if we look into our days a little closer.
Earlier today, my four-year-old & I had a little chat about our pet cats. While giggling over some of the cats’ silly antics, she was suddenly reminded of a rescue kitten we once brought home whom she really adored. She was three then, and kept marvelling over how tiny the kitten was. I didn’t think she’d remember any of that now. In fact, I am often guilty of underestimating some of her emotions, brushing them off as “typical toddler tantrums” or “mengada je tu”.
She asked, “Mommy, where is the baby kitten now?”
“Somebody else is taking care of her,” I replied. The rescue kitten was adopted after staying with us for a couple of weeks.
My reply was greeted with silence. A bit unusual for a conversation with a chatty preschooler. And then some tears. And an expression of actual sadness. Not “typical toddler tantrums”. Not “mengada je tu”.
“I miss the baby kitten,” she said again. I immediately hugged her & replied with some reassuring words that I believed a four-year-old could grasp. Her sadness slowly faded over the minutes.
Half an hour later, she was dancing and living in the moment, excited about choosing her favourite pyjamas for the night.
