Be Blessed: And Cry If You Want To, Cry If You Need To...

"What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul." ~ Jewish Proverb

"Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it." ~ Albert Smith

"Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don't know how to laugh either." ~ Golda Meir



Comedian Dane Cook has this great bit about the necessity of crying, and the ritual that follows when one decides that it's time to have a "Weep-a-Thon", as he puts it. There's great truth to the routine, which I guess explains why it's so funny... because we've all been there.

I spent much of my twenties exploring my thoughts and feelings as part of my own self-improvement. This involved me spending a lot of time "in my own head", and processing feelings I had never expressed: happiness, anger, and of course sadness. In these processes, I've learned first hand know how easy it is to disconnect from the world and become isolated and cloistered in your own sadness. It can envelope you like a blanket, which gives the illusion of comfort, but it's truly stagnation.

The object for me, I discovered, is how to give voice to sadness without allowing it to consume me. The answer was to cry when I felt the need to and never again allow tears to be suppressed. Express the sadness in a place you can feel secure and give yourself the appropriate time to release all that needs to be let go.

Once the tears have been shed, find the strength to forgive: forgive the circumstances that caused you grief, forgive the people involved, and most importantly, forgive yourself for allowing the circumstance to enter your life.

Know that these tears have wiped the slate clean, and that you are free to move on, and that you're stronger, and wiser as a result.

"Today, I forgive myself and others.
I choose to let go of the past, and embrace the present moment.
I clear my grief with cleansing tears.
I eagerly release all hurt, anger and resentment from my life, and easily let go of all disempowering beliefs."