I cry all the time. Sometimes itās totally reasonable and justifiedālike the time someone dropped a balance beam on my foot. I mean, that really hurt. Sometimes, the reason for my waterworks is more obscureālike 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 Iāve 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 shouldnāt cry because it makes me seem unprofessional and people wonāt respect me. But, by taking this advice to heart and repressing my instincts, I think Iām 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 youāre 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, Iāll be sure to pass you a tissue.
Sharon Miki