Teary

[Photo taken by Jen Gray last week]

Teary eyes have been coming up fairly easily for me lately.  Jen and I were taking turns giving each other photo shoots last week and in the midst of giggles and playfulness she said something that caused an immediate, very visible reaction.  She kept on shooting and I find those few photos where she captured my watery eyes a tad fascinating.  How often do we get to look at a still photo of ourselves in the center of a weepy moment?  And what are those triggers we all have that bring the tears to our eyes at the most inopportune moments - at a restaurant, in a crowd of people, in the middle of a photo shoot.

I had lunch with a woman today - someone I had only met once before who wanted to talk to me about Swirly, how I got started, how it took off, etc.  We talked shop for a while and also swapped more than a few divorce war stories and each had our own on-the-verge-of-tears moment over eggs and coffee.  For me it was when she told me she visited my website, read my words and suddenly felt like everything was OK.  (Getting teary as I even type that).  For her it was when I told her that her job right now - as she recovers from her divorce and embarks upon a new business venture - was to receive.

There are moments when we want to cry out of anger and frustration, moments of deep sadness where the tears seem to pour out of our eye sockets like a burst dam, and unexpected moments like these where the tears surface and catch themselves just on the edge of spilling over.  I find those moments often times startling and bittersweet, because those instances tend to occur when it isn't appropriate or convenient or maybe even necessary to immediately dive into a good, solid cry.  They are just little reminders of what makes our hearts tug, what sends a chill of recognition and maybe even gratitude right down into the depths of our souls.

Comments

[michelle]

i know these moments...i do...i know them well...i even have them while watching deal or now deal...i can't help myself...people's joy causes me to tear up...

[Amy]

wow. now I have teary eyes. You just wrote exactly what I needed to hear.

Thank you.

[Popeye]

What a beautiful, beautiful picture. . .

[melissa]

just looking at this photo makes me teary...you have a way of doing that to me :)
love you...xoxo

[ms. conley]

This is what makes us human and normal. Its moments like these that make us real and vulnerable to let go and open ourselves up for new wonders. Powerful and amazing, these decisive moment’s of truth! I love that you are open to your feelings and not hiding behind them. Cheers to being brave and open! Beautiful photo by the way. Magic!

[jen gray]

of course i see this picture of you and my eyes get misty ....
because you are the purdiest dear thang i ever did see...

xoxox

[christine]

This reminds me of our friend Jessica's photo project that I contributed to: http://www.paperheart.org/imtoosad/

Maybe you've seen it?

At any rate, I am thinking of you. Maybe we can have a girly crafty night (or day!) soon? xo

[indigene]

Your blog is so helpful! There are so many rough times in a woman's life, sometimes it's just washing the dishes! There are a couple of websites I visited to become centered again and this is one of them! Just when I feel like throwing in the towel, I read something here that makes me pick it back up again! Thanks for this blog!

[amy]

that's a lovely photo. i think what i like most about is that it communicates an openness and a trust in your friend who is capturing the image.

[schmoops]

i know these tears oh-so-very well and they do appear at unexpected times. i agree with frida, they do come from an honest place when something tugs at our souls and thank you for honoring that.

this photo is gorgeous!

xoxo

[lisa]

Lately for me these kind of tears have been welling up as I play with my little boy. The sweetness, the gratitude, the awe...it takes my breath away and I am so, so thankful for him.

[boho girl]

you are so beautiful. your tears always talk to my tears and ask them to come out and spill freely.

thank you for that permission, freedom, acceptance and love.

i love you.

[Liz]

thank you so much for that piece...

[susannah]

i have seen those eyes, and those tears, and they are so very precious to me.... love you xo

[Frida]

Thank you for honouring our tears. They are so often maligned and misunderstood (as manipulation, as weakness, as drama). But here is the truth, they come from the honest place inside us and they are what makes us unique.

Love you. xx