Spicy emotions...........

Yesterday, my son and I went out for dinner to a restaurant just the two of us. As usual, our conversation ran the gamut of topics, from the latest Stanley Cup winnings to his insights on the millenium. He seems to be stuck on this topic of late......as I have written before, Max is a numbers guy. The whole millenium thing strikes this chord in him. We also talked about writing, as he is in the middle of a provincial assessment on reading and literacy at school (my opinions on this topic will have to wait until another time........I have LOTS to say about provincial assessments!!) and he has a very enthusiastic teacher who introduces the "word" of the day........Fridays was "autonomy"............as well as arranges time every day for creative writing on a topic they pick from a hat of many topics. He loves both exercises. It has also generated an interest in my writing, and he often asks me about it.

So......................I told him the topic for this week's Sunday Scribblings was "SPICY", and that I was thinking of writing about emotions and how you could describe them using the names of different spices. Without a blink of an eye he said.............



"Happiness would be cinnamon then wouldn't it?"



Our lives are more fulfilling and more exciting if we allow ourselves to savour the sweetness and the sourness of emotions. Though we try to avoid the bitterness of some spicy emotions, you know the ones that can make you wince with shame or guilt, or the feelings that leave you writhing with firey heat. And yet, it is experiencing the sharp tang of a deep gutteral feeling which makes us sometimes feel the most alive. Funny that.


Grief, the bitterest of them all is making it's presence felt in our family right now. It is a sorrowful time and I don't really know whether there is a certain spice all on it's own which could label the multi-layers felt when one is grieving. Perhaps it's a special curry, or a peppery concoction where the spices are blended that represents grief and sorrow best. Interestingly though when you taste the blends you can often pick out hints of individual spices.........much like grief.


Grief encompasses anger, sadness, confusion, vulnerability, fear, dread, anxiety, and fatigue. But you know what? It also combines hints of peace, relief, wonder and calm too. Grief unprocessed is bitter. Grief acknowledged and processed allows for the bitter to turn to sweet. And, along the way, it offers a chance to feel alert, alive and aware. Perhaps it is through drinking from the deep well of grief where we learn life's most important lessons because it is a vessel for people to come together to share in the acknowledgement of life........our own and the life of our loved one. It opens our eyes to the importance of love and belonging.......


Someone once said that variety is the spice of life. Not quite. I think the variety of emotions is the spice of life. And may I offer the suggestion that happiness would always taste like cinnamon, baked into an oatmeal cookie?

for more spicy sunday scribblings..........click this link.......