…Who cried a river that drowned the whole world. Jk (ish) Crying has never been my strong suit. That’s not to say that growing up I never did, I certainly did, but it’s never been one of my favorite things to do. I mean what is the benefit of all the whining? Good grief, rub some dirt on it and let’s keep it moving. When I was about 3 or 4 I wanted to dance ballet. Had to do it. My mom got me all the gear: leotards, the tights, the shoes, you know “the works”. I was styling and I was in business. I went to a singular class and at the end the teacher asked us all to grab a stuffed animal and dance in a circle.

Excuse me?

I’m here to become a professional, what on earth was she talking about. I was given a hippo with a tutu and I was mortified. By the time I got home I informed my mom I would no longer be attending ballet because they didn’t take me seriously. My mom claims the real reason was it interrupted my TV schedule. Either way I fail to see the issue, those are two very valid concerns.

All business, no play. No time for tomfoolery means no time for tears.

And then I went to law school….. not only did the tears come, they haven’t stopped since. In the last several years I’ve cried over everything including but not limited to:

_{^{A bake sale, finals, not getting the score I wanted on the bar exam one time, failing the bar exam another time, a broken lock, because I’m tired, hurt feelings, because I’m hungry, jobs I did get and jobs I didn’t, that one time my client refused to take a settlement I worked all summer on, the MPRE, that time I had to yell at my landlord before a final, moving home from Boston (even though I wanted to), deaths, marriages, holidays, finances, frustration tears, anxiety tears, pneumonia that wouldn’t go away, grades, Tom Brady losing his last playoff game with the Patriots, driving across the entire state of Virginia (because I was leaving the East Coast for the first time in years), wanting to be a lawyer, not wanting to be a lawyer, discovery deadlines, stress, my interview went TOO well, people have said nice things about me, people have said mean things about me, that time someone in my building set their apartment on fire and the whole building smelled like smoke (not because I was scared but because I was in the middle of laundry and I had to evacuate), feeling like a loser, I messed up the gravy on Thanksgiving, that time it was my birthday and I was stranded at Logan at 2:00 a.m., and I’ve even cried over a boy. Despicable.}}

I know, I can’t believe I let myself cry over Brett Kavanaugh either. (Kidding again… kind of).

Apparently, in the course of all this I’ve been informed that feelings are normal and inevitable no matter how much you try and avoid them. Annoying.

While on my world tour of tears, a wise woman has continued to tell me I need to, “roll out the red carpet to my feelings.” Aka let them all out when they come. I’m here to begrudgingly tell you so far, she’s been right. Also, unfortunately, no matter how hard you keep trying to avoid them they do indeed still come. The good news is I always feel better after, and though it’s quite an extensive list it’s also a pretty funny one. I’ve found acknowledging and finding the humor in the situation really makes the whole crying thing not so bad. So, next time you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or misty I say just let ‘em flow. Maybe we can compare notes and see whose reason seems to be more laughable. Happy crying y’all.

Signed,

A Cry Baby

Jan 26, 2021 at 5:18 PM