Find a private place and get your good ol “ugly cry” out of the way—I promise that usually giggles and joy immediately follow!

Because you’ll feel better after and it’s true that grief/joy are both like water flowing out of the same garden hose; so if you bend the hose to block the grief/tears from flowing out of you—you’ll also be blocking the flow of joy that’s sure to follow! —I’m referencing Andrea Gibson’s first interview on “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast in 2022. They speak of this garden hose analogy that their therapist gave them about blocking grief/tears means also blocking joy. Give it a try. I inevitably LAUGH (genuinely) after, or think of something funny.

And HAAAPPPY BIRTHDAY from a serial cryer (and giggler, too! )