LILIANA LPEZ

On Moods
If there is something that has always amazed me is the fact that moods are quite contagious and transmissible. oods are li!e electrical energy" they can be conducted quic!ly and effortlessly# and they can be a strong source of $ower. Li!e electricity is the $ower of moods% affecting e&erything near it# and 'ust li!e electricity% moods can be li!ely to cause either shortcuts or damage when not handled with care. (hat is the contagious $ower of moods. )e are $rone to be emotionally affected es$ecially by bad moods. (hese are $articularly $owerful and can ruin a com$lete state of 'oyfulness. If the bad*mood energy were used to feed the wires in our houses instead of electricity% I thin! that there would not be need to !ee$ hydroelectric $ower $lants anymore. (here seems to be a lot of bad mood around us these days% so we must be careful% since this is the most transmissible of all in the family of moods% and &ery few $eo$le are &accinated against it. +ortunately% there also e,ists another ty$e of mood that can be transmitted% and that we all want to become infected with" the good mood. I can recollect myself a lot of times feeling somewhat downhearted or a little de$ressed% seeing e&erything around me $itch* dar! and gloomy% falling into $ieces. -owe&er% hardly did my children ste$ into my house% grinning and $laying $ran!s when all the blues turned abru$tly into cheerfulness. It seemed as if my children.s mood could turn on the /good*mood0 switch in me. 1ut what about our own mood% the one originated from us2 I.m entirely con&inced that the source of mood*energy lies inside us% and we can turn that engine wheel at will. E&eryone is free to be in the mood they choose% but it.s best to ta!e always an acti&e role. And I !now I can be my own master% that my feelings now de$end much more on my emotions than on anybody else.s. Naturally% it is not easy to modify negati&e moods# I !now it because I.&e been through that too. Not long ago% I used to allow myself to be dragged by unha$$y thoughts and% consequently% my tem$er would easily fluctuate from sadness to anger. It too! many years of growing u$ and many changes to realize that I was the only $erson to blame for those bad moods. In due time% I sto$$ed wallowing in self*$ity and misery and began ta!ing action. I.&e learnt that as with e&ery s!ill to be acquired% I can !ee$ my ill*humour in chec! far% far away from me. Li!ewise% I.&e learnt not to be quite affected by other $eo$le.s negati&ity. 3ust as you cannot mi, A4 and 54 currents *or else you will $roduce a shortcut or start a huge fire*% I !now that if I am in a bad mood I can hurt someone else. 4on&ersely% if somebody is in that bad mood% they might be irascible# and I won.t ris! addressing them and end u$ being shouted at. In those s$ecial moments% the image of an electric fence comes instantly to my mind" /5AN6E7. 8EEP 9:(0. And I thin!" /I feel I.d better obey the message% there is high $robability of electrocution0.