Tears of Joy

I heard the term “tears of joy” the other day and it made me think about it a lot. It made me think of some great memories that have hit me with so much pure happiness that I just cried. It’s happened to most of us in life. And if it hasn’t happened to you, I hope that you get a chance to experience it someday because it is truly amazing.

Of course we most often associate tears with sadness, but that’s why tears of joy are so, well for lack of a better word, amazing. It’s the moments in life that you take a step back and enjoy what life has presented you with. The moments when you are so overwhelmed with the amount of happiness in your body that you don’t have any other way to express it. That’s a great feeling, the feeling that your body is overloaded with happiness. Everyone should feel that at some point in their life. Tears of fear and sadness are normal, but tears of joys are so much stronger and hard to come by.

When I think of the very important moments in my life where I experienced tears of joys I can’t help but smile. It shows me that there are so many awesome things in my life and in the world that are worth being grateful for. Think about it, the first time you meet a new edition to your family, whether it be your own child or just a new baby in the family. You’re so happy that you can meet this little person that has only been here for a short time, but can make a huge impact on the lives of the people around them.  That makes me happy, just thinking about that.

 Honestly, I tend to hide my tears of joy for no apparent reason. When I met my niece a few years ago and my godson recently, I teared up I’m not going to lie. I feel like he’ll probably be the source of more moments of tears of joy in the future, as will my future children. When I think about it, my future is filled with moments of potential tears of happiness. Marriage is a likely occasion that will make my cry tears of joy. I will probably get to the point where I’m so happy that I can’t hold it in, but hopefully that won’t happen in front of people…When my children are born I’m sure that it will push me to the limit as well. And frankly, I can’t wait for those things. I’m looking forward to feeling my whole body overcome with joy to the point where I just sob. Bring it on.

Stop reading for a second and think back to a moment or multiple moments that made you cry tears of joy. Focus on those for a bit. Now how did that make you feel? Happy? It’s definitely a good way to bring light to your long days at work. When you’re stressed just take a breather, relax and think about one of those moments. Amazing things happen in life and I don’t think that we take enough time to fully enjoy them.

That being said, when you come to a moment that leads you into tears of joy don’t rush it. Embrace it and enjoy it as much as possible. Don’t only enjoy it in the moment either; enjoy it in the future too. It’s something that you can look back on realize how in our complex world something so simple can bring you into this pure sense of joy. I urge you to look back on these moments often, because at times these moments will turn a not so great day into a day that you can get through. Smile, it’s better for you.

-Eric Proulx