10 Sets of Mixed Feelings

Because most intense things aren't simple

How are you? Fine. Great. Happy. Sad.
Lies!
You contain multitudes of feelings at odds with each other. Always.

We’re all navigating so many things at all times. And we feel more than one word at once because our nervous systems are as complicated as any circumstance. I think we sense things on more of a spectrum or a color wheel than in black and white terms, but hot takes and professional courtesies don’t lend themselves to more than a knee-jerk linguistic reaction, even if a long riff on the philosophy of the moment would be more honest.

Example 1: You can regret doing the rights things for many reasons. Which, honestly, sucks.

Example 2: If any experience is intense enough, you’ll never really get over it, or even through it entirely. Which is exhausting.

Example 3: It’s not always fun to be right. The idea that you could have done more in advance will haunt you.

Example 4: I wonder how much heroism is really just blind desperation with a positive outcome: so many more Hobbits than Avengers out there.

Example 5: The surgery/confrontation/education/marathon was a success. Of course you feel the worst you’ve ever felt.

Example 6: When somebody has to do something like DIE for a job to open up, or a house or spouse to go on the market. It’s not like YOU killed anybody, but it feels bad to win in such ways.

Example 7: We’re all working without enough direction. There is no manual for solving half of our problems, so we make it up as we flail along.

Example 8: Wow. Wow. I didn’t know a human being could do that (e.g.: road rage, childbirth, betrayal, contortions of body or rationale, general displays of audacity).

Example 9: Pulling the plug on anything or anyone that ever mattered to you invariably hurts.

Example 10: Shit. You’re hired/married/a parent/a homeowner/speaking in public. Congrats and I’m sorry.