Life within itself is a fantastic voyage. And during this journey of our lives, more often than not we can unexpectedly find ourselves hurled into un-chartered territory, especially where emotions are concerned.
Perhaps the fact that we can’t ‘see’ our emotions makes them hard to understand or control. For example, if we have a laceration on our arm, we can see it, feel it, medicate it, and Band-Aid it. We can gauge the healing time, and protect that area of our body so that further injury or scarring does not occur. Unfortunately, emotions are not as tangible. They seem to reside at the opposite end of the continuum in that they are usually ambiguous, often uncontrollable and unsolicited, and if damaged, the repercussions can last a life time.
Emotions significantly govern our lives. Like thieves in the night, they can rob us unexpectedly, leaving us void of laughter or besieged by tears, infused with ecstasy or bludgeoned by pain. Yes, they are even present in our dreams. Just think about it – attraction, revulsion, love, hatred, bravery, fear, embarrassment, confidence, contempt, and remorse – we can experience any one of these emotions at any given time… and, sometimes, all within a twenty-four hour period.
So, during this fantastic voyage, imagine yourself embarking on an excursion flight toward love. Yes, the feelings generated by this passionate emotion are often beyond comprehension or explanation. Your energy level appears to be infinite. You look in the mirror, and the reflection staring back at you is void of the usual flaws. Nothing is impossible, and everything is probable. When you are in love, and that love is reciprocated, you feel safe and whole. You belong to someone, and someone belongs to you. Life is nothing less than phenomenal!
Conversely, when it’s over and the passion has gone astray, it’s like feeling dead while being alive. The ringing of the cell phone which once set your heart a fire, and served as the “go” button for romance is now replaced with the echoing void of silence. Your flawed reflection in the mirror screams “rejection.” It’s frightening to imagine what your family, friends, and even strangers will think of your failure. Society as a whole doesn’t seem too tolerant of people who can’t keep love.
Although the passion of a new love and the agony of loss of love may seemingly reside at opposite ends of a continuum, these polar emotions greatly parallel each other. Perhaps by embracing our pains and our passions we can learn to acquire a better understanding of ourselves, and the fragility and uniqueness of our existence as a whole. It makes sense that if you have felt the magic of love before, you can feel it again. More importantly, if you can experience love again, that’s proof that you have made it through the storm of yet another chapter in the fantastic voyage of your life.
Dr. Jodi J. De Luca is a Licensed Psychologist with over 15 years of experience. In addition to her private practice, Erie Colorado Counseling located in Erie, Colorado, Dr. De Luca is currently on staff at Boulder Community Hospital as a Behavioral Health Intake Evaluator in the Emergency Department, and as Co-Chair of the Disaster Response Psychological Support Team. She is also part of the American Psychological Association Disaster Response Network.
Dr. De Luca has held clinical positions with Morton Plant Mease-Baycare Hospitals and Tampa General Hospital in Tampa Bay, Florida. Dr. De Luca has held teaching positions at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach Florida, the University of Tampa, and Argosy University in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. De Luca attributes her personal and professional experiences as major influences toward her commitment to the Arts & Sciences, and quest toward a better understanding of human emotion and behavior. Her renowned international media related experiences and research focus on human emotion, behavior, and relationships.
Of special interest, are Dr. De Luca’s award winning photography, video documentary, Homeless: Inside America’s Minds, and her published book, Homeless in America: Portraits of an American Legacy (February, 2015). These endeavors are attempts to launch further national attention to the reality of the American Homeless population that is rapidly growing.
Dr. De Luca enjoys painting, photography, music composition, traveling, and especially hiking. She spends much of her leisure time hiking in the Colorado Rockies, and has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Dr. De Luca’s family, friends, and pets always remain her priority and touchstones in life.
Dr. De Luca’s art is visible in the pages of Black Fox Issue 13.
