We’ve all had to walk through painful times in our lives. And with pain comes emotion that we have been made to believe is shameful to share with others when it is not in the form of a sad tweet, meme, or vague, but attention-grabbing Instagram caption.
But I read a quote recently that reminded me that the reflex to disguise emotion on the surface is just a shitty social construct. The quote went something like this:
“Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive.”
At first, I thought the person I reblogged this from on Tumblr was a poetic genius, but after further research, I realized they had plagiarized Charlotte Brontë, y’know, the author who wrote Jane Eyre.
Anyway, it’s a quote that I live by during emotionally tense days. An undisclosed amount of time ago, I was eating KFC alone in my car and crying. Attempting to stay strong, I wiped the tears away and burned my eyes with chicken grease. I really felt the sign of life in that moment, but cleansing my tear ducts of fried chicken ended up feeling pretty finger lickin’ good in the long run.*
My point is that we all need to remember that crying is a healthy activity. For many cases, it is a clarifying one as well. Although we are trained to believe that emotions are ugly, please realize that what is truly ugly is shaming people for feeling something.
For anyone confused by the need to “get a good cry in,” I want you to take a look at Nicholas Sparks’ career. Getting a good cry in is not a phenomenon, it’s a regular and relatable occurrence. For Nicholas Sparks, it is also an opportunity to make a profit.
So, if you’re like me, and you’ve been feeling the emotions lately, I invite you to explore them. Journal, call a friend, watch The Notebook. Get that pain out, girl. Treat yourself to the tears.
I know I will.
*I’d like to take this moment to thank my friend Maritza for being there and talking me through this particular fast food related breakdown via phone call.
America's most unwanted 