Musical Prescription: When you need to cry....

Listen to this song. It's so beautiful that it's guaranteed tears for me every time I listen. As an overly analytical person, it's challenging to get out of the left brain. Writing scenes comes completely from my right brain. I have to dive deep into my heart and pull out the emotional material for scenes. I'm still working on becoming better at the emotionally raw stuff. Why do this in the first place? Because I think it's important for our hearts to remain open while we go through life. Emotions are okay. Feeling in your heart is okay. That's the nerve center for kindness, compassion, and love. Then again, confronting any blockages in the heart can be ...scary.

Before my dad passed away, I hadn't cried for ten years. My heart was blocked. After he passed away, I couldn't STOP. I cried on the entire flight from Spokane, Washington to Logan Airport in Boston. Some kind people saw how devastated I was and helped me check my luggage. The poor man who sat beside me, let me cry on his shoulder. I owe him a dry cleaning bill if he ever sees this. He's probably thought twice about flying ever since. I remember dropping out of line at Starbucks (to get coffee! Me!) so that I could rest on the wall, but I sank to my knees and sobbed instead. I've never felt a pain so significant, probably because I'd avoided feeling anything on a deep level. My heart felt like I tore a muscle for years after.

On the opposite side of the pain spectrum, my son taught me what joy feels like. However, life can sometimes hit me from all angles and that simple joy feels less accessible. I've learned that what I'm really doing is blocking my heart from feeling so I can put out one fire or the next. The best cure is music and my energy healer named Barry at the Motel 6. More on Barry later. For now, cry your heart out. It's good for you.