The Tears will Flow

I am a cryer. I admit. I am a very emotional person. When I can't hold the emotions in, they spill out as tears. I'm sure some people might think I cry at the drop of a hat, and think of me as weak because of it.

The tears are not a sign of weakness. If I could stop them, I would. I don't enjoy wiping my eyes, going through a box of Kleenex in no time flat. I don't like the puffy eyes that follow. Although I have learned to place a warm damp cloth over my eyes at night and it will reduce the swelling and eliminate that 'cried all night' look. And I certainly don't like the way I sound when I've been crying. I really dislike my voice, the voice after crying isn't any better!

The tears are just my emotions freeing themselves. It doesn't matter the emotion. Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, hurt: the tears flow equally. I cry at Hallmark commercials. My new favorite has two women around my age, and a young girl. I think the two women are sisters. The mother to the girl tells her 'look who's here!' and the girl stands there, arms at her sides while the other woman hugs her. The 'aunt' gives the girl a card, and it has a special surprise online. This causes the girl to warm up. Can you see why I love this commercial? This is my life! I go through this ritual every time I see Sydney for the first time. She is stand-offish, and I usually have something in my bag for her. Once she warms up, there's no stopping her.

My favorite movies are ones that make me cry: Gone With The Wind, When Harry Met Sally, Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias (when they go to the little boy after Shelby dies, I lose it every time), Notting Hill. Erich doesn't understand why I choose to watch movies that make me cry. I guess guys don't understand sometimes you need that release, you need a good cry.

Books have been known to make me cry. Nicholas Sparks and Mitch Albom are two authors that always leave me in tears. So when I saw Nights in Rodanthe with my mom, I knew what to expect and started handing her Kleenex before she needed them.

Every time I fly to NY, I cry when the wheels touch down in Albany. I cry when I hear stories of Sydney talking about how she 'loves Aunt Amy so much'. I frequently laugh until I cry. I cried after my recent car accident. When I'm so angry I can't think straight, there are always tears.

I come by this naturally. My Mom is a cryer too. We used to make fun of her when we went to the movies, because she would start fumbling in her purse for a Kleenex. Then I started doing it, and my sister sits between us and laughs at both of us. When Mom and I go to see a movie, we usually choose one that will make us cry. And when it's over, we hold each other up as we head to the bathroom to splash cold water on your face. We usually enjoy the movie, this is just our way of letting our emotions out.

So when you see me crying, don't pity me or look down on me. I'm not weak or pathetic. I'm just a sap!