Monday, August 3, 2009

On finding an emotional vocabulary

My friend texted me the other day saying that i left my diary at his house after visiting. i was certain i did not (and by the way it's a journal, thank you very much). Then he mentioned that he was joking and said my letter was super emotional.

Backstory: i went through a rough patch earlier in the year, since i was living back with my parents, unemployed due to leaving this great work community, and generally stuck in life. So my solution was to buy myself things! Music specifically, and so i started getting a cd a week to generate some of the hope that had been stolen away. Then i felt like i should share it and use it to connect with friends over. From there, i started sending out mix cds accompanied by a letter sharing what was going on in my life. And yes, due to my sensitive disposition, they have been somewhat thick emotionally.

That little interchange brought out some thoughts. i'm wondering if there's a mature and substantial emotional vocabulary between me and my friends. Do we know how to communicate this and is the language available for it? And, also, is there space for emotional discussions in general society? i'm not sure that emotional vulnerability is a value.

And yes, yes, i can point to my disposition as evidence that it's just me that thinks something is out of whack, but is it possible that this really is an issue?

Maybe it's time to normalize this. Look out for awkward questions...