Welcome to this Sunday's post where you can take a break from the stress and anxiety you may have or continue to feel from the world around us. Need a break from politics and the 2020 presidential election? Well you came to the right place because I am going to keep that completely out of this post other than the mention I just made. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and relax. No matter what the only direction to go is forward so embrace that! I wanted to start a little series of posts on my page here. I have mentioned emotions as a whole many times on here before, but I thought why not take some time to embrace each one and talk about them more in depth than ever before and maybe even include a poem I have written about each emotion as well. The first emotion? Sadness.

Sadness is something each and every one of us feels. Sometimes it is a small emotion that just hangs in the back of our mind, and other times it is a large one that takes over and consumes you as you work through it. I think it is safe to say that sadness is something that can overpower a lot of our emotions. Often I know if I am sad, happier news or event lose a bit of their luster because the cause of my sadness is in the back of my mind. First of all I want to say you are not weak or less than if you feel sad. If life was always about the highs in life and we never experienced the lows, then the highs really would not mean as much in comparison no would they? There are also so many levels of sadness, but that doesn't mean you are not entitled to feel sad when the cause is something much smaller. Humans are separated from any other species on earth because of our ability to feel and comprehend emotions to the level that we do so embrace that, good or bad.

As I mentioned last week I have been a little sad lately because we had to put our family dog of 14 years down. Sure the pain is a lot duller than it was two weeks ago, but it is still there. I still catch myself looking for him or calling for him even though I know he is not there. It is all just part of the process. Do I like the feeling of being sad? Of course not but in a way it is nice to know you are still human and still feeling emotions. I want to encourage you to allow yourself to feel sad when you need to. Listen, this has been a tough year for every last one of us to some regard. You may have lost a loved one, had to cancel a big event like your wedding, lost your job, etc. and each one of those are valid reasons to feel sad. That does not mean you are weak if you embrace those feelings. Just a couple of months ago I caught myself bottling things up through this entire year. Up until that point I had not cried or let myself feel any of it. A friend of mine passed away in March and I hardly reacted. I had to cancel an important trip and I did not react as strongly as I expected. I was getting worried about myself when finally the water burst through the dam and I felt it all at once. This genuinely is not a great coping method. Allow yourself to feel sad and deal with it in a healthy way.

So what about when someone else is sad in your life? Well I of course cannot speak for everyone but in my personal experience the best thing someone else can do is be there for you. Now some of us need space when they are sad, I am one of those people myself. So instead of being there for them physically, a gesture or even just some kind words will do wonders. A text message or call saying you are thinking about them is a lovely thing that will go a long way. Maybe bringing them a coffee to work or a card if the situation makes sense to do that. My boss and his wife gave me a cute little card and a coffee cake for the family when they found out about my dog and it was so very appreciated to know they were thinking about us. Just do not suffocate the person. Let them know you are here for them if they wish, but that the decision to ask for you is on their terms. I know we are all different, but I think that is something we can all agree on. 

I want to end the post with a poem about sadness I wrote shortly after we put our pup down:

Sadness

At first it brews,

like a simmering pot slowing rising

to a raging steam

soft burning behind the eyes

a lump stuck like a throat frog

tight stomach knots.

Pain bursts through

like lava erupting from a volcano.

Poetry is now one of the ways I cope with emotions as well so it seemed only fitting to write a poem while feeling an emotion so strongly. If you are feeling sad always keep in mind that you are not alone. We all feel sadness from time to time but the important part is working through it. Sure our loved ones or pets will never come back to us but they will always live on in our hearts. They never fully leave you. Always remember you are not weak for feeling sad! If anything it only makes us stronger!