Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
“I’m so Lonesome I could Cry,” “It’s Crying Time again,” “Cry me a river,” “Crying my Heart out over You,” “Crying,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” are all songs about crying. They are sad songs, lonely songs and heartbroken songs.
Crying for me is almost like a second nature. I am very comfortable with my tears. I cry over everything and everybody. I cry when I’m sad, happy, surprised, afraid, at movies, bad news, loneliness and old memories.
The one time I hate to cry is when I am mad. I can say just so much and emotions take over and I cry. This usually takes care of my anger. I do cry over stupid things, but to me they are legitimate reasons to cry.
I cry over a bad hair day. I cry if I burn anything I am cooking. Tears are my answer for a sinus infection, headache or stubbing my toe. I don’t think this classifies me as a crybaby, because I have also laughed so hard I cried.
It has been said that on the average, women cry two to five times a month, or three to five times more often than men. Some men feel it is more masculine not to cry, but I am sure they hurt just as bad as a woman.
Of course I have children, so I have heard a lot of “waaaas” and “boo-hoos”. I have also observed fake crying in which no tears were shed. I could always tell when my own kids were fake crying.
Of course, babies are born with a cry, however, it can be frustrating just trying to figure out what Junior is crying about. Sometimes it just takes some holding and cuddling to quiet a crying baby (Hmmm. Yes I would like that too).
I can usually tell if I am going to cry. I get a lump in my throat and then tears well up. Sometimes just reading the obituaries makes me feel like crying. Of course, that is the first thing I read in a newspaper.
My Mama was a cryer. She cried when she was glad, however, it did not take much to make her happy. She would cry with joy just because she was going to watch wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. Her eyes would well up with tears of happiness if she was going to go some where special. When she was in a nursing home in her final years, she would cry because she was going to have a “dippy dippy” egg for breakfast.
I look back at the past and think of the losses in my own life and cry. They say not to live in your past, but I do visit it with tears of sorrow and also tears of joy.
I have shed tears over a lost love, a broken date, not being asked to dance, falling down, and tears of frustration if I can’t squeeze into a pair of jeans I wore last year.
Am I ashamed to cry? No I am not, because they say that crying is a release of emotions and many times crying will help sooth our dismay.
Have you ever heard the cries of a cat or a dog? It is reported that cats, dogs and even elephants shed tears. But, there is no existing proof that it is from emotional pain.
I know of a little gal who was going to get a spanking, (yes we used to spank our children). The little girls sister cried too because of her sympathy for her sibling.
These quotes on crying sums it up pretty good:
“Don’t be ashamed to weep; ’tis right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us.”
Brian Jacque
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”
Charles Dickens
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Dr. Seuss
Lots of times I cry when I see the United States flag, hear our National Anthem, or see veterans marching in a parade. Another tear jerker is the playing the song Amazing Grace on bagpipes. My emotions are from my heart and soul and you never know that when I cry, I might be happy, sad, sentimental, grieving, or just plain mad.
Did you know the shortest verse in the Bible is, “Jesus wept?”
Do you cry a lot? Do you think our tears could be bottled up? Do you think women cry more than men? Let me know and I’ll Give You a Penny for Your Thoughts.
