Hello Emotions! emerged from the shared passion and respect the authors have for emotions. Yet it was crafted by authors who learned about emotions a world apart in widely disparate cultures. What is evident from this collaboration is that emotions are a universal human attribute and that there are a variety of ways we can understand and live them.
Thao's stories capture the lyricism and beauty of her world, Dan's reflections and analysis provide a pragmatic articulation of the befriended emotions.
The order of the stories evolved organically and we have kept them as they emerged and knocked on Thao's "door". The emotions appearing first were those "who" demanded her attention immediately at the beginning of her journey into the world of emotions. After she came to understand their messages and have meaningful conversations with them, she could "see" and "listen" to more subtle emotions. These included Nostalgia, Envy, Hate, along with other pleasant friends such as Acceptance, Peace, Joy, Gratitude. Thus, the sequence of the stories follows Thao's exploration of her emotional world. The emotions are listed in alphabetical order in the Table of Contents for easy search with the page number on which they begin which will lead you to the emotion for which you are searching.
This book is intended to provoke you to question the way you've come to understand emotions and to consider how else you might relate to them. It is designed to be the beginning of a journey and not a summary of all you can learn about emotions.
Read, enjoy, reflect, question, consider. Viewing the book through these lenses will allow you to gain the most from it.
We are grateful you are joining us as we journey together to discover all that we've overlooked about our emotions and their role in our lives.