I cry all the time. Sometimes it’s totally reasonable and justified—like the time someone dropped a balance beam on my foot. I mean, that really hurt. Sometimes, the reason for my waterworks is more obscure—like the time I full-on bawled because the barista at Starbucks told me I had to pick a different latte because they were out of vanilla syrup. I cry at sad movies, happy movies, and Google commercials. I cry to my family, my friends, and (perhaps more embarrassingly) to total strangers. Consequently, I feel like I’ve spent a fairly significant portion of my life apologizing for the moisture level of my eyeballs.
When I think about it, this is a really stupid thing to do. No one gets mad at people for smiling, so why is there such a stigma attached to another natural emotional function like crying?
Similarly, people always tell me that I shouldn’t cry because it makes me seem unprofessional and people won’t respect me. But, by taking this advice to heart and repressing my instincts, I think I’m stunting my personality. Besides, how many people do we encounter that show destructive emotions like aggression or anger in public? Why are these traits valued, and tears looked down on?
So, if you’re like me, and the stress of the impending semester is building, I encourage you to let yourself cry whenever you feel like it. It feels good, it lubricates your eyes, and it shows that you are a tender, caring person capable of emotion (and not some sort of cold, mean robot). If I see you, I’ll be sure to pass you a tissue.
Sharon Miki
