Which would you choose?

Emotions are powerful things! They define us, and its something we are showing every minute of the day. So if you had to choose, which emotion would you give up? Wait! Don’t be too quick to answer, may not be as easy as you think and you may take back the first thing that pops out of your mouth. I did!

I was given this topic for my series of “Anything Goes” posts by my sweet friend, fellow blogger Jodi from LIfeinBetween and it made me think.I had to ponder it awhile but this is how I chose.

Sadness is what was on the tip of my tongue, when I first read Jodi’s question. It seemed like a natural choice, for who likes to be sad?? The problem is that age old statement that rings with truth. You can’t really enjoy the Mountaintops of Happiness as much , without having gone through the deep valleys of sorrow! As much as we wish we could, we can’t. Its so much more heartwarming to be rejoicing and celebrating when you know that you made it through the tough times. Plus how could we be there for a sad friend, if we ourselves couldn’t feel sadness? How could we empathize with them if we never knew how it felt to have our heart break? Yes, as tempting as it sounds I will have to decline on living without sadness.

Next to come to my mind was anger. That was a good one I thought. Not to have my blood pressure rise, not to be telling myself Count to 10, Ok count to 50, Just BREATHE! We have all been there, another emotion that is not exactly fun. Once again tho it does serve a purpose. How would it be if when our children got treated very badly by someone we would just smile and say,That’s Ok? I am talking about true injustice, not just ,”Mommy he pulled my hair”, type of stories. Isn’t there a time when we need to stand up for justice. When we need to let anger push us to resolve a situation? What about all the injustice that goes on in the world? It is  the people that feel really upset by the circumstances that take  what measures they can to help. I am thinking of the people who are dedicated to help stop Human Trafficking, the ones who help to protect women and fight Domestic Violence. The Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the list goes on. There have been many great organizations that got their start by being fueled by someone’s righteous anger. So while I do try my best to not let little things anger me, anger can be a emotion that you need. Anger is not bad in itself, its what we do with our anger that can create big problems!

I finally decided on Jealousy! I could give up jealousy. What purpose does that serve, except to make you feel discontent with your life. Oh that person has a nicer house, a nicer car, they go on fancy vacations,they have such nice clothes, etc. The list can go on and on when we start making comparisons and let the Green Eyed Monster of Jealousy grab hold of us. Sure you will always find people that have it better than you, BUT…what we fail to remember a lot, is that there are a WHOLE LOT of people that have it worse than us! So I embrace contentment and if I had to choose, would gladly give up being tempted at times with the emotion of jealousy.

Thanks Jodi for this challenge and remember let your thoughts below, what would you choose? There is no wrong answer!