Stoic? Or... Stable

I was once told that I was a "Stoic" individual... and for a while I allowed that to define what I believed of myself. The person who said it had a lot of authority in my life at the time, probably more than any man up until that point. Sometimes people don't realize the effects of the labels they put on others... but, how you label others can be very dangerous... but, that is besides the point :)

I just finished a day of great joy. A day with a TON of GREAT friends, a great mother, LOTS of laughter and joy and fun... a Little fear and protectiveness when a man very clearly on drugs threatened my mother and friends' safety, and just a ton of positive real feelings invoked by a group of people who truly care about me, Then, I sat and read the blog of a friend of mine, who my heart broke for and I sat, drowning in a pool of tears over her loss... wishing I could do something to take her pain.

I may seem "Stoic" to someone who really does not know me. I don't laugh uncontrollably often (only on days like today when I am really engaged with a group of people who are a lot of fun and I feel comfortable around), I don't get upset or angry about the small things that occur, or being challenged by what someone else thinks of my character (now someone threatening my friends or family? Different story!), I don't cry or get sad when I spill milk, don't win something or don't get my way (but when someone really hurts, I well with Sympathy, love, grief, sadness and hurt), and I don't really get embarrassed when things or silly (only when I make others truly uncomfortable, sad, unhappy, do something stupid). So, all of that shows I have a very steady and healthy way of expressing emotions. I am not prone to excessive displays of weak emotions. There are varying levels of emotion and I believe I experience the broad spectrum, but am not the type to make mountains out of molehills.

I truly believe that with this I have a great balance. I believe that I have great joy, great sorrow and times where I ma not experience a large amount of either. And granted, yes there are a vast array of emotions besides those that I do experience, but those are the main ones.

I thank you dear Lord for the great joys, and even the tremendous times of turmoil in my life... I thank you for teaching me through those and helping me maintain overall a healthy balance. I thank you that you have helped me keep a healthy perspective on life and not be run strictly by my emotions, but instead, have them as the background music to the story of my life.