A windy day at Johnson Lake: Photography by Noelle

Emotions. They are just waves. Like being a little kid at the beach. Those big waves were scary, until you realized no matter now many times they knocked you down, you got back up. And swallowing water didn’t kill you. And after a short bit you realized you could have fun with this. And maybe you started to swim or boogie board and eventually even surf. Your fear is just a fight or flight mechanism to keep you from being eaten by a saber toothed tiger. It’s a good emotion. It’s designed to keep you out of trouble. The feeling isn’t the problem. It’s your brain telling you that you are in danger of being eaten by something. Your job, a lover, financial ruin, global warming, bad breath… Whatever… It’s just your brain spinning a story. The feeling is your tip off you are telling yourself something that is not true. Unless of course you are on a plane about to crash into the ground or, well, there’s a big bear. When you feel strong emotions stop and ask yourself, “What story am I spinning to myself right now? What have I just been thinking about?” Then do yourself a big favor and remind yourself the feeling is just a wave. It won’t last, it won’t kill you and in a moment you are about to stand up and realize you are only in a foot of water.