On the subject of Creating Emotions

I want to start by apologizing to you readers for being away during a busy week. Time was that I would make time every day... now the day goes by so quickly that I am asleep before I realize all that I used to do goes without doing.

Now did that create some empathy for what you might feel about reading regularly. I did not start out to write the opening paragraph to make you feel one way or another... more to make me feel less guilty for not writing.

Creating emotions... it's just what I do in life. My job is to do that, to the thousands of viewers on television (and happily for me, the numbers are back up - that statement was to make me feel better) or to thousands of people in the stands, which I was happy to be able to do this past weekend. The emotion I created was hope and happiness for the audience, and accomplishment and happiness for me.

Through these blogs, I hope to create a pensive environment at times, but mostly I want to make you laugh... thus making you happy. For me, it's happiness in sharing to the desire for acknowledgment (yes, I get a huge kick out of comments.)

I spend a lot of time with my family trying to make them feel better, through telling them I love them to empathizing with their feelings. Again... it's trying to create an emotion for them, and to me honest, serenity for me.

Improv is all about creating feelings... and I have written scores of words about how I feel about that.

Sometimes, creating emotions can have a reverse effect.

Last night, at the Olive Garden, there was a significant wait for a table. I was sitting with my son when I saw some older ladies arrive. They looked tired and in need of a break, and were discouraged to hear of the long wait. I told my son to get up from the bench and walked over to them to tell them that they could have our seats. When I was half way over there, a teenage boy with Ipod earphones planted into his head, plopped his butt down where we were sitting.

The oldest of the ladies shrugged her shoulders, and the teenager was oblivious. The emotions created. I began as empathetic, went to hopeful and ended up pissed. For the ladies, frustration turned to appreciation turned to disappointed.

So, it taught me a lesson. Sometimes when you try to create an emotion, it can backfire, which reminds me that I need to spend more time letting things happen for themselves.  I won't stop trying to do good things, but I need to quit forcing it sometimes.

But before I do, I hope all of you have a better today than you did the day before. See. I just can't stop!

Yours truly,

Johnny Blogger