Tears

Tears can mean many things, though most of the time they are considered sad. I believe tears are cleansing no matter the reason for them, much like raindrops to the Earth and everything upon and, yes, even far beneath its surface.

If you notice, whenever tears come from a deep place, beneath your surface, you can usually feel them start in your solar plexus and travel upward to the eyes. I think that’s pretty indicative of their source: Spirit

I was raised not to cry as many of us were. “Don’t cry, baby, don’t cry,” is something we often tell our children because it’s very hard to see those we love shed tears. I would hold my tears in and if I happened to shed them, I made sure no one saw it. The older I got I realized that crying wasn’t the bad thing I’d always thought it was and tears were absolutely nothing to be ashamed of; they brought relief and expression of what I was feeling at the time whether it was joy or pain or anger.

Many years ago I lost a childhood friend who I’d been close to and shared some very profound thoughts with. As I stood at his coffin the tears came, and some sobs, too. Someone touched me on the shoulder and said, “Don’t cry.” I shrugged the hand away (yes, in front of everyone!) and continued to let the grief flow through me, allowed the tears to gush from my eyes and down my face. Somehow this incident freed me and let me experience the wonderful cleansing tears provide. I realized in that moment cleansing and release was the very purpose for which tears were created.

I’ve cried many times throughout my life now, and not nearly all of them tears of sadness. While I’ve discovered that tears of joy feel the best, I never stop any tears that come for whatever reason. Tears are signals that something is touching my soul: favorite poetry, books, music (especially music), movies, photos and, yes, birth and death to name a very few. My tears come from a place inside me that is sacred, a place that is connected to everything that exists.

So, I cherish my tears.  They are a special part of the physical experience that I will never stifle just as I won't deny the acts of eating, drinking, dancing, laughing... crying... living.