Hide Your Feelings

The very first time I heard this song I was about 13 and it was 1979 and grandma was progressively getting worse with colon-rectal cancer. A very debilitating disease, that if not taken heed to early, will kill even the strongest of souls. I recall the song coming on the radio and Melissa proudly educating the young ladies of the world listening, to become emotionless. I laughed more than anything and let the song just play out before switching channels. I still let my emotions out regardless of what some songstress encouraged people to do . . . I honestly believed in actions speaking louder than words so I let my emotions pour out of me and finally felt a little better. Some people may call this 'wearing your heart on your sleeve' but it made me stronger after having accepted death as inevitable part of life.

The next time I heard it, during another unforeseen tragedy in my life, again the encouragement to 'hide your feelings' bellowed from this songstress and again, I laughed. Only this time, I got so angry with the song and realizing how stupid the advice was turned it off ! I could not fathom a woman, of all things, to be encouraging anyone to be somehow 'robotic', to attempt going through life as if nothing affects you, good or bad. The concept of 'actions speaking louder than words' haunted me again within the decade that followed grandmas death, and this time I was even more strict in composing myself as angered, resentful and aware that changing my life was what was important regardless of what people said. I was in charge.

Today I find the song, the lyrics and the individual, now, a sad representation of living life with blinders on or worse yet, hiding in the sand like an ostrich. Life is both a positive and negative reward our Creator gave us. To avoid emotion or stifle it is asking a near-impossible feat especially if your human quality of just being human gets the better of you. The song is terrible now as I think of it in retrospect, and thank goodness I never accepted the advice.

For that I am better, wiser and more in-touch with the self !