Adult Tears

are so very different from baby tears.

They seem to come from deep within a well that has long been written-off as dry and dusty. Before the tear track makes its way down a single cheek, all the mental barriers come down again and no one can recall why they were even sad in the first place.

A friend of mine went to get some professional help after years of feeling that something wasn't quite right. After introducing herself to the therapist, he said, tell me about your family and she broke down without saying a word (yes, he literally had her at hello). They got through 3 sessions and he never went beyond hello. Finally, she told me as I laughed myself silly, he told her she could spend thousands of dollars on therapy and never find out what was the problem. Or she could just take Prozac (at a tiny fraction of the cost).

What kind of fucked up therapy is that? I asked.

That's a good therapist, she said. He sees crazy people every day. He knows there's a limit. Says there's millions of people out there with some big time issues but they never think about or even know about these issues because they're so busy achieving the next thing. Getting through school, getting that degree, getting that job, getting that promotion, hitting the maximum pay level in their chosen career. They could be well into their forties by the time they reach a plateau when there's nothing left to achieve. Then the big crazy issues that've been suppressed all this time will catch up with them. So keep yourself busy, hon. And take your pill.

So why do I get so upset when I come here? she asked him.

Because I'm different, he said. When you meet people in your everyday life, all of your mental barriers are up and full-on. You are in control because you deal within your sphere of comfort. So even if you talk about things that hit on your big crazy issues, even if you are aware of some problems you have inside, you control what you share, whom you talk to, what you say, when you end that conversation. With me, you are out of your comfort zone and your barriers are completely down. So these are your baby tears.