The Teary Process

The thing about tears is that they are difficult to hold back ! We are at the brink of almost breaking down - for whatever reason but it takes a lot to not let them roll down.

Scientifically -
Tears flow from tear glands into your eyes through tiny tear ducts. The tear glands are located under your upper lids, and when stimulated, produce tears to form a thin film over your eyeballs. Every time you blink the film spreads over your eyes to keep them moist and free of dust and other irritants. Whether you are awake or asleep, happy or sad, this salty fluid is always flowing from the tear glands.
Besides protecting your eyes, the tear glands produce more fluid when your eyes are irritated. These extra tears are called irritant tears.
And, when something makes you happy or sad, your tear glands will produce emotional tears. Used tears then drain down into two tiny openings on the brim of your upper and lower eyelids at the inner edge of your eyes, which lead to the nasolacrimal tear ducts next to the bridge of your nose. If there are too many tears, they will overflow your lower lid and run down your cheeks.

Chandler claims it is extremely difficult and almost impossible for him to cry like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz. My mother finds it extremely difficult to shed tears. My sister; well she can cry at the drop of a hat ! I cry watching Pooja telling Rahul that she loves him; Grey's Anatomy episodes; Robin and Ted in their up and down relationship; Marley dying; etc ! I howled when Monica, Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler and Phoebe placed their keys at the kitchen counter and left the Purple apartment. Forever !

Crying they say is a cathartic process. Just like cooking or writing. It brings out the bottled emotions and helps you feel better. Feel lighter. True only.

There are times when you want to cry - big big tears. You're choked up. But you just cannot. Then ? Well, you try. Ask a friend to narrate a sad story. Watch P.S I Love You. Imagine a horrible/sad moment from the past !

People cry when they are sooper happy too. Well I did. Can you blame me - ShahRukhKhan just held my hand and kissed the air I was breathing. I can laugh and laugh with the ponjees and tummy will hurt but tears will also come ! Sometimes looking at the beauty around you can bring tears to your eyes. You will be speechless but those droplets of water say it all !

And the best part about crying is that you will always have someone to share those tears with you. No matter what the "distance" or what technology you use - nobody cries alone :)

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References :

• Frey, William H. and Lanseth, Muriel. Crying, the Mystery of Tears. Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1985.
• Kapit, Wynn and Elson, Lawrence M. The Anatomy Coloring Book. NY: Harper and Row, 1977.