So I was raised in one of those very stoic-don't-show-any-kind-of-emotions type family. Happy? Fine. Angry? Fine. Frustrated? Fine. These were acceptable to share with the general public and/or your family.
But other types of feelings, not so much. Hurt? Buck up. Sad? Get over it. Vulnerable? Not interested. As a person who tends to have all of the feelings all of the time, and as someone who likes to express themselves in order to be understood, this bottling up of emotions was very difficult for me. But I learnt how; to a degree.
Then I got married to someone who would use any type of emotion I had as a weapon against me. So I became awesome at really, truly burying the feelings quite deep and only applying logic.
Only the safe emotions were, and still are, ever expressed. Happiness, anger and frustration. Hilarious that the anger and frustration are considered safe, right?
Even at my brother's wedding when I got teary and my voice broke while I did a reading for him and his bride, a family member asked me why I got choked up about it. (Gee guys, I don't know, my brother only found the love of his life and married her - no reason at all, I guess.)
Consequently I find it difficult to say things like I love you, I need help, I'm feeling vulnerable. Not only do I not say them, but I definitely don't show them. (Except to my kids, and normally it's still expressed with a great deal of inappropriate humour.)
It can be a blessing. When people truly hurt me, but are the sort of people who take pleasure in the pain they cause - they get no response from me. Whatever trolls...
But lately, I find it a hindrance. I have people in my life I care for. I'd like to tell them what they mean to me. The other day I just had to use the "L" word. But the only way I could say it was gruffly, and in a sentence that ended with "stupid head". So you know, it didn't quite sound the way I was feeling. But I think the person understood.
My best friend is about to appear in a show. A show that has meant a lot to me for many years. It's a show that is raw and powerful and has the ability to make me cry in public. Something I don't do. Not even at funerals.
I know he's going to nail his performance. I know I'm going to be a complete wreck through this show. I also know that there is no way in hell I'll be talking to him publicly after the show. He knows this. Our mutual friends are going to be shocked after the show, because they will be expecting me to be the biggest cheerleader.
What they'll witness is he and I completely ignoring each other and looking decidedly disinterested about the whole thing. Not because we don't feel anything, but because we feel too much. And this is the only way we can cope with it.
Later, and very privately, he and I will talk about it. Probably in the most roundabout of terms. Thankfully, with each other we're good at reading between the lines.
Because feelings. People give you the feelings. And feelings? They're the worst.
Aren't they?
