I AM AN EMOTIONAL...

mother f'er.  Does anybody else ever break into tears when you see a story about SURVIVAL on the news?  How about during a sad commercial or when you watch the movie "RUDY"?  How about when your team WINS a big game?  Or LOSES one?  Do you ever reminisce about your childhood while running and then suddenly the smell of a freshly bloomed honeysuckle bush brings a single TEAR trickling down your face?  Has an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show brought you to tears?  Do you ever just cry for NO REASON at all?  I do.  Not all the time... but it happens.

As a child I remember thinking the only people that cried were women, babies, and ME.  I'm not talking about that whining nonsense spoiled brats do... or that sore losing crankiness followed by sobbing.  None of that CRY BABY shit.  My parents wouldn't stand for it.  I'm talking about tears of sheer JOY.  The ones that flow when you read a phenomenal piece of literature.  The ones that hit you when your High School Football team wins the State Championship.  Or the tears that are impossible to hold back when your playing days are over.  And every once in a while, I'd let out some tears all by my lonesome... for no good reason at all.

At first I was uncomfortable crying alone.  I always wanted to hide the fact that something I couldn't put a finger on was bringing me to tears.  This was definitely a PHASE.  I was sure of it.  A 22 year phase, but a phase nonetheless.  I figured I would grow out of it.  Boy was I wrong.  I thought men only shed a few tears when there was a DEATH in the family, not while watching the presidential inauguration.  I thought you needed a REAL reason to lose your shit.  Human beings don't cry for no reason, do they?  Did this mean I was depressed?  Was I losing my mind?  Then it hit me... I was just living and feeling.

The funny thing about crying is that even the toughest guys do it.  If they don't, at some point they're going to break and break hard they will (Yoda voice).  Crying is natural.  It's a chemical response and a human reaction to feeling emotion.  When people tell me they don't cry during movies it leads me to believe they don't have any suspension of disbelief or they're blanketing their emotions.  Yes, movies are make-believe, but they are meant to extract emotions from us.  Some are meant to make us laugh, some are meant to make us angry, and others to make us CRY.  So if you find yourself only enjoying Comedies... and hysterically laughing during them; don't you think you should be able to experience what goes on at the other end of the spectrum.  I'm not saying you should cry during every movie, or cry all the time for no reason... just don't be afraid to show a little emotion for Christ's sake.  It doesn't matter how great your life is, or how TOUGH you are... sometimes you just have to let it out.

These days I LOVE a good cry.  I understand it.  I cried when I left for California.  I cried my eyes out when a good friend died last year.  Tears filled my eyes a few days ago when I learned an old friend was diagnosed with CANCER.  I cried last night while watching the Michael J. Fox special on ABC.  I fucking love MARTY McFLY.  Sometimes I cry when I see another human being doing something so special, knowing that the moment I just witnessed can never be repeated.  

A great song...  An unbelievable moment in sports...  An inspiring film...  A true moment of appreciation...  When I haven't seen my mother in a long time...  These things get me choked up... And I'm not ashamed of it.  I love it.  I fully embrace these moments because a good cry is usually followed by an even better laugh.  Crying is important.  It's a stress reliever.  It's every bit as important as gut busting laughter, which can sometimes bring you to tears.  So don't be scared to show some emotion.  You don't have to hide your tears... especially you bad asses out there.  It doesn't make you a pussy or gay.  It makes you human.  It proves that you have a heart.  It makes you realize that you are actually ALIVE.