Trail of Tears

Una Stannard said, ~Men are no more immune from emotions than women; we think women are more emotion because the culture lets them give free vent to certain feelings, "feminine" ones that is, no anger please; but it's okay to turn on the waterworks.~ People tend to cry for several different reasons and oftentimes no reason at all. Every person has a complicated and/or stressful life; even though one seems to be put together on the outside, on the inside he or she can be mentally breaking down. Each one of us aren't immune and it basically shows that we're only human and no matter how tough one is, you sometimes have to let it all out to feel a whole lot better.

Let me tell you something, guys don't really want to admit they cry because, in our own thinking, it will bring down our masculinity. For the male species, we were taught since we were little kids not to cry. For at some point in our lives, if we ever hurt ourselves we would hear these words coming from our father's mouth, ~You're ok, just shake it off.~ It's a guy thing and we only cry when our favorite sports team wins a major championship like the Boston Red Sox. Red Sox fans have an obligation to cry after finally winning a championship after 86 years and have the curse of Babe Ruth lifted. They can now die happy knowing that the tears that they have shed through the years came to fruition in 2004.

It's truly amazing how women can cry in a snap of a finger. It can be somewhat comical as when guys encounter women or young ladies who are balling their eyes out. In some aspects, to a guy it’s like stumbling on a really sensitive explosive and we have no idea how to turn it off. In my case, working with kids, especially little girls, I've found that a way to comfort a crying child who is either having a really bad day or just missing their parent(s) is just to make them laugh. For its when you see that big and bright smile beaming from a 6 or 7 year old's face, you not only have a warm fuzzy feeling inside you; but you also, in a way, feel like a father comforting a daughter.

D.H. Mondfleur once said, ~I like the snot to run a little, the tears to accumulate a bit before reaching for the handkerchief. Then I know I'm really crying. Crying just isn't crying unless it's messy.~ Let me ask you this question, when was the last time you cried? Certain situations can make a person start to tear up and such examples are watching a certain movie or television show, listening to a song, losing a friend or family member, and most often suffering heartbreak that causes one to go through endless amounts of tissues. Personally speaking, the last time I really cried that I could remember was when I was a kid watching the movies Charlotte's Web and Savannah Smiles.

In retrospect, there are many types of crying such as sympathetic, whining, manipulative, sensitive, and that ever popular temper tantrum. Someone has done these types of crying as a kid or even as an adult. Whether it be years, months, weeks, days, or just recently a person will be in a situation where one just needs to open up the floodgates. Inevitably, one's friends, family, or loved one will help comfort you when one most needs it. Thinking about it, each one of us has the right to let out all the emotions he or she has kept inside when times of tragedy, strife, or even joy for that matter come our way. In the end, it's the trail of tears that one sheds from childhood to one' latter years that make you stronger as time goes by.