Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Why the tears?

I read these memes/quizzes/get-to-know-your-friends-better type things and it asks when the last time was the person cried. The responses are frequently something like "yesterday, last Tuesday, over the weekend, etc."So I just have to ask:

why is everyone crying all the time?

I get teary-eyed once in awhile {maybe a couple times a month}, but can't say that I have an all-out flood more than once every few months. The last thing that got me cryin' real good was receiving a notice that our mortgage payment is going up $400 per month. That deserved a good cry to me.

Are you crying over happy things? Frustration? Pain? Please shed some light on this mystery.


**edited to add: I just want to clarify that I am sincerely curious about why women cry frequently. I didn't mean for this to come off crass or to insinuate that there is something wrong with crying. Maybe I am just not as emotional as some or maybe I just have many really emotional friends!**

5 comments:

Stephanie said...

http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/warninggeneral-adoption-womens-long-sleeve-dar/237121371#

Look at the link above (You'll have to view larger image and zoom in to read it). I found this the other day and it pretty much describes me to a T right now.

My process right now has been referred to as the "Labor Pains" toward my next child. I'm an emotional person anyway, but I cry nearly every day lately. Every day it may be for a different reason, some days, I may not even know why.

For instance, last night I got an email from our adoption agency, CWA, that listed some special need children that are on the waiting list. I was up until nearly 2 am just crying out to God for these children who were promised parents, but they haven't come for them yet.

Last week, I had an overwhelming burden for the birth mother/family of my child. I could not get her off my mind. Everywhere I looked, everything I heard, it all brought my mind back to her. God continually placed her on my heart and I couldn't help but cry thinking of her great sacrifice to give up her child.

You asked: "Are you crying over happy things? Frustration? Pain?"
Yes, Yes, Yes. I'm so happy to know I'm gonna get another child. Yes, I'm frustrated that I will be leaving behind 4.3 million orphans - in Ethiopia alone, not counting the rest of the orphans worldwide. I'm frustrated that people have so much wealth and still people all over the world are starving to death. Yes, my heart, mind and soul aches for the children that don't have 3 meals a day, for the mothers and fathers who have no other choice but to give up their children as a last act of love.

Sorry for the book - see first paragraph again. That should sum it up. Hope that explains my tears a bit.

Erin said...

I responded to my survey with the answer "last Thursday"(which is now two Thursdays ago). That was the day that I found out about my grandmas cancer. I think you would have cried too.

Peaceful Chaoz said...

Circumstance has a lot to do with peoples emotions I would imagine. Some people are going through some pretty trying times right now and for me when I am going through a lot of stressful stuff its a great release to cry!
Personality has a lot to do with peoples emotions as well. I know people that can go for months without shedding a tear, sometimes I do believe that this is because they are detached for whatever reason but mostly its just that they don't find it necessary and that's ok! I on the other hand am the personality that its unusual for me not to cry at least once a day. Whatever the circumstance is, happy I tear up, sad, I cry, mad I cry madly, lol!
My reason is that I'm an emotional person, someone who wears everything on her sleeve already and going through a bit of a rough circumstance at the same time ;0)
I'm so glad God made each of us so differently otherwise we'd be going around with eithier not being very emotional or way to emotional, I think we probably all sort of even each other out!! :0)

Rebecca said...

I am truly thankful for all the responses so far! It really helps me to understand people better, especially ones that are different that me!

Andrea said...

I'm a lot like Alicia. I cry often over big and little things, happy and sad things, really profound moments, and when I get really mad. At movies, songs, prayers, speeches, books, and pretty much anything that resonates with me strongly. Not always sobbing or anything, just tearing up or watery eyes.

For me...if I'm not crying over things, there's probably something wrong with me. Like I'm too busy to really be feeling anything. But that's just me. Everyone is different. Crying is just my way of expressing emotion I guess. It feels natural and good to me. If it's an especially painful thing I'm crying over, I almost always feel better afterwards.