Happy Crying Day

My longstanding dream has been to open a series of Crying Spaces, where people can come during the day to sit in a small room and weep privately. I think that these would do especially well in urban areas like New York, where the population density and cost of living usually forces you to share space with other people. Rather than wait until your roommate or significant other is out of the apartment, rather than hope that none of your coworkers will hear you stifling sobs in the stall, you could come to the Crying Space and just let it all out secure in the knowledge that the only one who’s ever going to know about the tears you shed is the guy at the front who hands you the box of Kleenex and the Terms of Endearment DVD. While I believe in my heart that this could be an immensely profitable business, I have yet to secure its funding, so it will for the moment remain just a glimmer in my damp eyes. But in this spirit I am naming today National Go Have Yourself A Sob Day. (It is important that we do this today rather than tomorrow because I do not want anyone to confuse your sadness with something related to Valentine’s Day, which is no less ludicrous a holiday than the one I am proposing.) Here’s the deal: Head somewhere you feel comfortable crying, think about all the bad decisions you’ve made or the unfortunate luck you’ve had or the departed friends and family you miss so desperately or basically just the crushing burden of existence, and let her rip. The rest of us promise to completely ignore you. It’s no less than we all deserve.

Photo by Ed Yourdon, from Flickr.