Joy Jot #8 The Importance of Sadness
31 May 2024
Because I tend to have a cheerful disposition, it may surprise some of you that my favorite character in the movie Inside Out is Sadness.
My favorite part of the movie is when Joy is dragging Sadness by the foot as she touches all the memories making them sad. Don’t we all feel that way sometimes?
I just want to be dragged around by my foot while I cry. That seems easier than living my life.
Writing that made me laugh. Like my life isn’t that sad and it’s actually amazing. But sometimes I feel that sad. So I pose the question, what is the importance of sadness?
Sadness is the opposite of happiness. We wouldn’t understand happiness without sadness.
Sadness is part of feeling all the feelings. It’s evidence of your human-ness.
You feel empathy for your friends when they are sad.
Feeling sadness is an opportunity to evaluate what is important to you and why you feel the way you do.
It is a primary step in the grieving process. Letting sadness sit helps you move through it when you are ready.
A good cry makes you feel better.
How is this a message of joy?
Because recognizing that sadness is important may make it easier to bear. Because remembering that everyone is sad sometimes helps you feel not alone. Because all things have a way of working out.
When my second child was two years old he was diagnosed with diabetes. I was so very sad. I thought I might be sad forever. I learned that accepting a lifelong illness for my child was like losing a loved one. I had to go through all the steps of grief because it was still a loss. A loss of my pre-diabetes life. A loss of my expectations for my child’s life. With change comes loss. My sadness was appropriate.
And in time I was happy again.
So hang on cute friends.
You’ve got this. Whatever changes or circumstances you may be dealing with. You will be happy again…and…you will know you are because…of sadness.
With love,
Amy
P.S. Jesus helps too. :)
