[11/25/11] Emotion keys.

I saw this the other day in the desk drawer at work, of which I only have 15 (15!) more days of until I get to retire. Again. I think this will be my third retirement. I tend to get un-retired when a special project comes up.

Anyways...

Back to the picture:

Do you see them? No, not the office mail key. The other ones.

The "Emotion Keys."

We have paper dispensers brand named "EnMotion," to which these keys belong, but I thought this was very interesting.

Another side note: Winona and I (she's the lady I work with) needed to replace the paper towels in the dispenser in our bathroom. None of the guys, who are pros at doing this, were in the office that day. We found the keys for the dispenser and I figured out how to change them all by myself! John told me he could really put me to work with that skill.

I told him, "No, thank you."

Anyways.... (can you tell I'm a bit sleep deprived this week? I've been getting up early to do schoolwork before work, as in 5:00-5:30 am, so that I can spend time with my kids when I get home from work since they're out of school all this week, and I've been staying up late with them at night.)

I am so excited to retire in only 15 (15!) more days!

Back to the keys...

What if we did have "emotion keys" that we could use to control our emotions. 

Would that be a good thing? Or a not-so-good thing?

Could you use multiple keys at once, depending on the situation? What is the reaction time once you turn a key to the "off" position?

I think "emotion keys" could be quite helpful in some situations:

Like the last day at church before you move when your emotions are skyrocketing through the roof.

Or the Sunday your son gives his mission farewell talk, or the day you take him to the MTC.

Or the day your daughter or son leaves for college for the first time. And each subsequent semester after that.

Or when something someone says at church really touches you and you get emotional.

Or when you have to say "goodbye" to family and friends you don't get to see very often.

Or when you get upset by something and you're in public and you don't want others to see you cry.

Or when a situation starts to elevate and you just need to back off. 

Or when that crazy driver pulls right in front of you, almost taking the front end off your car.

Or when someone says something to you that really bugs you or hurts your feelings.

Or...the examples are endless.

But, would this be a good thing? 

Dictionary.com defines emotion as "an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like, is experienced..."

Emotions, and our expression of them, are one of the main things that make us human beings. I wonder if sometimes we try to hide emotions that we possibly shouldn't. And we don't hide some that we possibly should.

Maybe we need to experience our emotions more, at least those that are not detrimental to us or those around us (like anger or hate, for example).

Maybe we need to be conscious in those "appropriate" emotional moments and just let them happen, without worrying about what those around us are thinking (like crying in public...).

Maybe experiencing our emotions is what allows us to be healthy and happy human beings. If we try to suppress these emotions, we're not allowing our bodies and minds to heal and to grow and to change, and we're also depriving those around us, who care about us, the opportunity to support us and bless our lives during these emotional times. And vice versa.

So I guess, when all is said and done, I'm thankful I don't have any "Emotion Keys."  

Except for maybe sometimes...

:o)