I woke up this morning thinking. Those of you who know me well, know this isn't much of a surprise. Even the fact that it was 3 am when I woke up thinking isn't much of a surprise these days. It just means there is a nap to be scheduled sometime in my near future, today.
I remember hearing a story, whether actual or allegorical I don't know, about a teen and her mother on a ferry crossing a large lake. A storm kicked up and the teen was out on the foredeck of the ferry enjoying the storm. The mother scolded the teen and told her to come in out of the storm. The teen instead talked her mother out onto the deck to experience the storm. When it was over they were talking about it. The teen asked her mother what she was experiencing and the mother described her physiological responses, rapid heart rate, adrenaline rushing, sweaty palms... and described her fear of the storm. The daughter then said that she was experiencing identical physical responses and recognized them as excitement.
The I-Ching is an ancient Chinese oracle with 64 hexagrams. One of the hexagrams is Thunder/Thunder. In the translation that I use by Rod and Amy-Max Sorrell (called The I-Ching Made Easy) it expresses itself as "Shock, Surprise, Excitement, All Shook Up" and the description goes on to say "The shock of coming across something quite unexpected. Scared and then excited. First terror, then laughter. The germination of a seed in the spring. The stimulation of sexual arousal. The subtle difference between terror and excitement. Some enjoy the storm and some run from it. What's your thrill level?" My sister loves storms, her dog did not.
I tend to side with my sister and with the teen in the story. As a rule, I perceive that things that raise my pulse are positive exciting events rather than something to be feared. That's been my experience, and is my expectation. But that's just me.
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