Reflection by Andrew Violette

“I'm Fine.”

I learned the hard way that constantly telling myself those two words is not very healthy. Throughout elementary school, I tried to keep a tight lid on my emotions. The only problem is that trapped emotions tend to boil over rather explosively. Because I couldn't accept the little frustrations and disappointments, the rage and sadness would take control and send me into irrational tantrums of pulsating anger.

Needless to say, I was not too happy about spending a large portion of my life in an uncontrollable rage. After a while, I decided that emotions could not be controlled — so how could I get rid of them?

At the start of high school, the hormonal teenager that I was (and still am) went and fell in love with a girl. As it turns out, teenage love is one of the more volatile concoctions to arise in the heart, and I found myself crying my eyes out over my romantic ineptitude. At that moment, I realized that I was asking the wrong question. These emotions cannot, should not be eliminated. They are part of what makes us human. The only way to deal with them is to accept them as an integral part of who we are. At that moment, I cried my eyes out — and yet I felt good.

Life doesn't give us lemons. It gives us sun-ripened tomatoes and crispy romaine lettuce, sizzling patties and melting cheese. In addition to these delicious ingredients, it gives us onions. No matter how we cut them, they're going to make us cry — it is up to us to accept that fact, and incorporate that pain into the burger of our existence.