No woman, no cry

So, woman, no cry;

No - no, woman - woman, no cry.

Woman, little sister, dont shed no tears;

No, woman, no cry.

Bob Marley

So, I have decided not to bother you with the horrible photograph as any experienced 'shopper would have no chance of improving it. Instead I decided to steal the shedding tears picture which looks much more refreshing than and ailing cancer patient. (See link for the source).

Bob Marley wanted his woman to stop crying, the question is...would not crying have helped her in any way? Sir Henry Maudsley (an Australian physician who served in the first World War) said that "Sorrows which find no vent in tears may soon make other organs weep." It has been scientifically proven that by crying the body rids itself of stress hormones, therefore crying has an important function.

I do not cry much. I don't know why this is. Maybe it is because I have grown accustomed to this level of discomfort...but taking into account that I dealt with so much pain in the first place, maybe my fysiological make-up does not make enough allowances for this emotion. I certainly do not feel a social restriction to cry. What ever the case, I do try to cry. Like many things these days (eating, bowel movement, sleeping, enjoyment) I condition myself to cry at certain times. I chose a moment which suits me and try to trigger my tears. I usually only succeed if I am home alone which is why I do not want people around continously. If I did not do this...I probably would cry a lot less as my focus is on the healing aspect of my life.
But seeing as crying is an important part of the healing proces...I do try to get around to it.

People (especially strangers) are so suprised about my good spirits, but that too has to do with conditioning. If I choose to be positive, I will infact be positive.

There are some spontaneous moments that I cry. It only happens when all of you wonderful people out there (more than 100 of you) give me attention in the form of messages, presents, phone calls, or when you weep for me. These are all fantastic triggers assisting my recovery. This is particularily the case when it becomes apparant to me that certain people have taken the time to get to really know me, or when they make me notice that somehow I have touched their lives. Also when I see that they appreciate what I have done for them in the past. Getting this abundant feedback feels great and very relieving. Infact...it makes me feel that up to now I have lived an excellent life and it makes me want to grab the second half of my life so I can indulge in this knowledge and become a happy old woman.

So I say:

Yes, woman, do cry;
yeah-yeah, woman - woman, do cry.
Woman, little sister, please shed your tears;
Yes, woman, do cry.