Someone in my street keeps harassing me and my family, and I lost my temper 2 days ago and whacked a bunch of things off a shelf. One of the heavier things ended up falling on my soup bowl and smashed a third of it. That specific soup bowl has been discontinued for many years. The manufacturer did make very similar soup bowls just with a different pattern on them, but they’re old and only being sold on places like Ebay. I’m going to take the bowl out of the trash tomorrow and measure it in detail and maybe post it on Facebook to see if anyone has this bowl. I feel like a whole bunch of nice memories have been literally smashed, like that bowl was with me for all that time and I smashed it by accident. That bowl was like a friend and reminded me of a time in my life where I was happy so just ordering some generic soup bowl that isn’t extremely similar or the same is going to remind me of what I’ve lost.
We don’t get to choose when emotions will take us. This morning I broke down over a Pokémon short because it reminded me someone I love has cancer. They have no connection to Pokémon whatsoever, and I haven’t watched Pokémon in years. It was just a sweet short and it got me going.
Sorry to hear that. Sod cancer.
I’m sorry to say this, and I know it’s unpopular opinion, but there are healthier way to deal with emotions than breaking things. I know in your case it’s perfectly valid and normal response. But in OP’s case whacking things off the shelf, we have a choice not to lat emotions take you there. It’s like an addict saying I can’t help but steal for my hit. Its the same thing I can’t help but whack things when I’m angry.
You may misunderstand me. I never said it was healthy to smash things. OP asked if it was normal to get upset over a broken mundane object and I pointed out that we don’t get to choose what triggers us to feel. How you channel the energy of those emotions is another question entirely.
Sometimes smashing things is healthy. I’ll say that. One time I got over a breakup by chopping an old, fruitless apple tree with a hatchet instead of an axe. Tree needed to go anyways, but I needed the vent.
Of course forming attachment to things that rest of the world might consider mundane is pretty normal and we all do it. Nothing unnatural or out of place for that and totally understandable. I understand sadness over a broken bowl. I worry that breaking of bowl is self inflicted.
In hindsight, I misunderstood OP’s question. I think I understand and agree with your points.