I had a good day. I was happy with how the second discussion group went (itchy monkeys). I felt like we nutted out a bit more of what distress tolerance is and isn't. It's ironic, that no matter how much you apply this stuff to your life, it is just as much about getting used to the messiness that life is as it is cleaning it up. It's always tricky finding that middle point... of accepting our emotions, without getting overwhelmed by them and without numbing out. It's about cleaning out that junk room in manageable stages and filing stuff, throwing out other stuff and trying to sort things as best we can when or soon after they occur, and being comfy that something's take some time to unravel. So often we solutions with such clarity in others lives because it doesn't involve emotion. But emotion is what gives our lives richness and meaning and they are what helps keep us safe. We also aren't as likely to share the same wonky thoughts as the other; so we can see through the issue so clearly... if only we had that crystal clarity for ourselves. Sometimes I really wonder how much of our lives journey is actually about our ability to manage our emotions. In my old age (yeah yeah), looking back, it seems to have governed a hell of a lot of my life.