On crying

Ever since I can remember I have confused the words crying and raining in Spanish, most likely
because llorando and lloviendo sound alike. But it’s also the fact that rain is made of water drops
that makes me think of tears, although sometimes tears are not drops but a stream of salty liquid
running down our faces. I think one of my kindergarten friends once told me that rain meant God
was crying, and even if I now know the scientific explanation behind this meteorological
phenomenon, that idea of has stuck with me throughout the years.

Actually, I can find more connections between rain and tears. Crying is a vehicle through which we
release our innermost emotions and state our needs; we cry when we are happy and when we are
sad, babies cry when they’re hungry, most of us cry when we’re in pain. Up until not so long ago I
used to fight back my tears because I felt they were empirical evidence of my emotional
weaknesses, and revealing them meant being left vulnerable and unprotected. But through
unexpected situations life has taught me to cry, and now I see it as a way of accepting my feelings
and letting them be, thus being the one in control of my emotions and not the other way around.
And just like rain is part of the water cycle and purifies it, crying allows to me to regain that
emotional balance I lost somewhere in the middle by letting go of my frustrations and sorrow. It’s
become as essential to me as rain is for crops; both are necessary to help something grow up and
grow strong.

Crying also builds and strengthens human bonds. Tears are a type of nonverbal communication
that manifests that our state of mind has changed, that our inner peace has been disturbed.
Happiness may go unnoticed, but whenever I see someone crying I find it hard to ignore. Maybe
because I would want someone to reach out to me if I were upset, or perhaps is the possibility that
through tears they’re conveying what they cannot otherwise put in words; I know I’ve always had
a hard time expressing my emotions verbally. Whatever the reason may be, through crying we are
able to recognize each other as peers, to empathize with other human beings.

Furthermore, tears may become quite symbolic in different stages of our life. In a delivery room,
the newborn’s first cry is the most awaited sound, since it’s taken as a sign of life. And when a life
fades away tears are present once again, bringing relief to those mourning the dead. When my
first boyfriend and I cried together saying our first goodbyes I realized that what I was feeling was
shared, that he loved me back. And of course, tears were also present after our break-up, but this
time, the only tears I could see were mine.

I think crying is more of a gift than it is a hassle, because even when it happens during times of
pain it brings me some comfort, it alerts people around me that I might need a helping hand or a
friend to talk.