Day 4 - 66 -- Tears

Tears --such an interesting physiological response to so many things. Positive and negative emotions as well as physical irritations can trigger tear production. A cat hair caught under a contact lens. Very bright sunshine. Excessive laughing. The birth of a child. Choking on a morning cup of tea. Anger and frustration about plans going sideways. Physical pain. Losing or missing something or someone. Tears can be cathartic or add to frustrations. They are not easily controlled. Few people can cry on command and those that do generally think of a past experience to start the flow. Tears can sneak up on someone.There is rarely an announcement before tears begin. For many of us, seeing someone crying is enough to initiate the process in ourselves. I like to believe this has something to do with empathy or sympathy. Tears in others can make some people very uncomfortable. Intervening may bring a number of reactions from the crying individual, so they are often approached with caution.

Today I witnessed the tears of a brave individual who stuck with the situation causing her tears rather than running from it. Knowing it was going to cause some pain from memories, she chose to stay and face it. That was a remarkable action. She accepted that crying is a part of the process and focused on the task in front of her while wiping away tears. She just took it in stride. Amazing.

This brought the title of a song to mind. I find the lyrics, tempo and vocals relaxing and thought-provoking -- a bit of a juxtaposition. Enjoy!

Sometimes We Cry -- Van Morrison