And of course I cry when I'm reading. Sometimes I even make myself sniffle when I'm writing. So when did I turn into such a sap? I don't think I used to be this bad. I don't know if it's the state of the world that's getting to me, or if it's just the state of me, dealing with a lot of stuff as well as book deadline pressure. The weird thing is, I'm not all that prone to crying over real life things. It's mostly stories and images that get me. And music.
What about you, REDs and readers? Any fellow weepers? And here's a little challenge for you. I was going to post Smokey Robinson singing "The Tracks of My Tears" and ran across this video of Chris Blue, the winner of Season 12 of The Voice in his blind audition.
I dare anyone to get all the way to end of the clip without a sniffle.
JENN McKINLAY: I'm a weeper. I've always been a weeper. I cry over everything. A complete stranger will be in tears and I will start crying with empathy. I've often thought I should rent myself out at weddings and funerals. Frankly, I don't get people who don't cry. Much like I don't understand people with no sense of humor. I mean if you're not going to feel things, what is the point of being alive?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I cry at TV commercials. At moms with their kids at the grocery. Hallmark cards. Movies and books? Don't even get me started. I have never seen Beaches or Terms of Endearment or Fried Green Tomatoes, WWI movies, WW3 movies, any war, you name it, I will NOT see it, because I will cry for WEEKS. The Green Mile? DEVASTATED. In fact, the first movie Jonathan and I ever saw together was Sling Blade (because the movie we meant to see was full.) Ten minutes into the movie, I started to sniff. Our conversation follows.(Remember, a first movie.)
Jonathan: Do you have a cold?
Hank: No, I am crying.
Jonathan: At what?
Hank: The movie.
Jonathan; But it's not sad.
Hank: Not yet! But it's going to BE sad.
LUCY BURDETTE: Me too, I'm a sniffler. John and I both sobbed through Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Yes, and if someone else starts to cry, I'm in too. And John is even softer at the movies, just like his father was. And Hank, I couldn't persuade you to read THE STORIED LIFE OF AJ FIKRY, remember? Because you knew it would be sad and it was for a while, and then got happy again.
HALLIE EPHRON: Last weekend we went to see Frozen on Broadway with our granddaughter and I welled up when the curtain rose. Something about that moment when a live performance begins always fills me with... joy. Overflowing emotion. Before the actors do a single thing I'm blubbering. I cry at sad, too. When Beth dies in Little Women. When Dora dies in David Copperfield. Jenny in Forrest Gump. I'm tearing up just remembering.
INGRID THOFT: Oh, man. I promise that I really do have a heart, but I’m not a big crier. I feel things deeply, really, I do, but that feeling doesn’t translate to tears. Recently, I had a conversation with my mom and sisters about “This Is Us.” The subject was that everyone weeps during the show, except, you guessed it! Yes, I tear up, but there are never full-on waterworks. But you know what gets me every time? Parades at Disney World. Something about those extravagant displays makes me cry every time. Obviously, Walt Disney cracked the code of the infrequent criers!
RHYS BOWEN: It's strange because I don't cry much in real life. I am stoic at funerals. But anything on TV when a service dog is returned to his handler home from Afghanistan, or even that Folgers commercial where the son comes home for Christmas, and the tears are trickling down my cheeks. I cried in Mama Mia 2. I sob in some movies. And, strangely enough, the ARCs of my next stand-alone, called The Victory Garden, arrived yesterday and I flicked through to the ending and... I started crying!
DEBS: Oh, Rhys, even mentioning service dogs will make me cry! And I definitely went through the popcorn napkins in Mama Mia 2...
Readers, are you weepers?? Tell us your most sniffly book or movie or song!
Those Hallmark commercials make me teary-eyed; I get weepy over movies and those heartfelt stories of goodness on the evening news. Yes, even books can move me to tears . . . .
ReplyDelete“The Home for Unwanted Girls” and “God Bless the Broken Road” both made me dive into the tissue box; “Shindler’s List” and “Brian’s Song” are guaranteed to reduce me to a puddle of tears . . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, man, I was fighting Debs for those last few popcorn napkins at "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again!" I cry at books and movies and often simply at music. The first time the Dallas Winds played a complete concert of John Williams music I was blubbing all the way through because that music shot straight past all the logical, verbal parts of my brain and went straight to the happy memories of seeing "Star Wars" with my sister. And I guess I'm not alone on that front because this past February, when we played our annual concert for fifth graders, we ended by introducing "the most famous piece of music ever written," and daring them to recognize it. There was this amazingly tense moment as all those kids braced themselves. What if they didn't know the most famous music ever? But then we hit that opening chord from "Star Wars," and the whole audience roared in recognition and delight. I teared up immediately, and still tear up when I retell the story.
ReplyDeleteI got all teary just hearing that story.
DeleteI'm a weeper. I cry at anyone's wedding...don't need to know them. Cannot watch any animal movie at all. When my daughter was little, I was reading Dolphin Freedom to her but had to stop when Baby the dolphin got punched. I started sobbing. I'm sure it turned out ok but I'll never know. The original King Kong makes me cry. Yes, I am a weeper at happy or sad things.
ReplyDeleteOMG, my topic! Yes, a serious weeper. Bridges of Madison County movie? The whole second half.
ReplyDeleteLast spring my son was here and we were brainstorming songs for our mother-groom dance, with me choking up just at the thought. The wedding was a week ago (bliss and lovely and perfect) and I wept through half of it - but I dried up for our dance!
Congratulations on your son's wedding, Edith, and on staying dry-eyed and fleet-footed for the dance.
DeleteYes, congratulations, Edith, and to your son!!! But what song did you choose?
DeleteThanks! We danced to Give Yourself to Love by Kate Wolf. I loved it way before I had Allan, and he likes it, too. And the lyrics are lovely.
DeleteEvery Friday night on CBS news Steve Hartman does a heartwarming piece. Gets me every time! And sometimes the anchor seems a little choked up too.
ReplyDeleteWeddings, Pam! Absolutely! Even if I don’t know the person getting married, I’ll cry at a wedding. And Lucy/Roberta, I did read that, finally! But I prepared myself, so I was fine. And, I loved it!
ReplyDeleteSo glad Hank--it's one of my favorites. In fact I should go back and reread...
DeleteI cry at the very thought of Dunkirk. I don’t think I dare see the movie. Mary Chapin Carpenter’s song about Haley’s Comet gets me every time. Other than those two, it’s unpredictable, but once the “all choked up” reaction is triggered it takes a while to get under control.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I cried at the movie, I think. But I was so glad I saw Dunkirk before Darkest Hour, because then I really understood what was happening to those stranded soldiers while Churchill was doing his damnedest to get them off.
DeleteI'm definitely a weeper. I can't watch animal movies or Hallmark commercials. Even events that cause strong emotions make me tear up (like watching a space shuttle land, not that that happens any more). Like Ingrid, some Disney movies get to me, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd Doctor Who! I cry every time the Doctor regenerates into a new actor. WTH? It's not like the character is actually dead AND I can always go back and watch the old episodes. I guess it's the death of the personality/incarnation that gets me.
DeleteCathy, me, too!!!
DeleteI’m still sad about Clara!
DeleteDebRo
DebRo: And Donna. And Amy and Rory. I cry every time.
DeleteI cry at fish stick commercials, seriously. And This is Us? That's at least a box of Kleenex. "Saving Private Ryan" had me in tears during the opening credits until the last one rolled. So did "Schindler's List" and a dozen others.
ReplyDeleteBooks rarely bring me to tears, but US AGAINST YOU=by Frederick Backman had me sobbing by the end. And most recently, so did TRANSCRIPTION by Kate Atkinson. (No, I do not get a kickback from her for touting her book. Trust me.)
Music that brings tears is usually choral. Perhaps it's because I've been to so many family funerals in the past 15 years, but I turn into a puddle when I hear the requiem aeternam. (If you aren't familiar, think Princess Di's funeral.)
And weddings. I cry at all weddings, real and made for TV, friends or strangers. I'm not sure why as weddings haven't been altogether good experiences for me. Oh wait. Maybe THAT is why!
And I weep at the news, every single day.
DeleteAnn, that was what started me on this whole topic...
DeleteI guessed that, Deb, which is why I posted the Paul McCartney carpool Kareoke on Facebook. Needed some happy
DeleteWell, I used to be a weeper. I cried at the drop of a mouth corner, back in the day. Sad movies, sad books, cheesy commercials, mean words. But somehow, over the years, I've become more stoic, and only realized this recently.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, though, will sit with silent tears streaming down his face, which it took me years to realize. Maybe that's why my own tears are harder to come by, because I'm more worried about his tender feelings being triggered. We cannot watch certain kinds of movies because he's a mess.
However, at every graduation ceremony I've attended for my three daughters: high school, college, doctoral presentation, and Master convocation, I've sobbed like a baby, so full of gratitude and pride for their accomplishments. Not at any of their weddings, just the graduations. In fact, my oldest daughter gave me a special handkerchief for her wedding, just in case, and it went unused. Should have taken it to Columbia for when she got her Masters!!
OH yes, Karen. Graduation ceremonies. My little Lizzie now all grown up this summer. Sob. Hasty wipe of eyes
DeleteAh finally!
ReplyDeleteI don't cry often. Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me. I feel the emotion, but tears? Not usually.
Except for military reunion videos. Those get me every time.
Mary/Liz
You're in good company on those videos, Mary/Liz. Sob...
DeleteI think we're kindred spirits, Mary/Liz!
DeleteGlad to know I'm in good company! One of youngest nephew's childhood friends surprised his mom by coming home from his naval stationing at Christmas and his sister posted the video taken of her leading her mom, eyes closed, out into the snow-covered world, to find Donovan grinning at her when she opened her eyes. I'm tearing up just remembering. I've been re-watching- for the first time- the Lord of the Rings trilogy--and sobbing through most of it. Older nephew studying for an upcoming exam? I slip off to my room and cry with gratitude for his determination. Good news? I cry? Bad news? Cry. Movies, books, the news, I am easily moved to tears.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm glad to know that I'm not crying alone in the wilderness! I think some of my excessive weepiness these days has to do with a need for things that are familiar and comforting.
ReplyDeleteOn the up side, I have severe dry eye and all the tears are a good thing. According to my doctor, real tears are much better for your eyes than the artificial type, so I sniffle with abandon.
It could also be a catharsis, Debs.
DeleteWhen I was in high school I just couldn’t understand why some people seemed to cry so easily. Now I’m one of them. Sad moments, happy moments, live music performances, weddings, funerals, some books and movies. When a friend and I saw the movie Les Miserables a few years ago, we cried so hard at the end that we couldn’t leave the theater for about fifteen minutes. And I knew how it ended because I read the book many years ago! And cried, of course!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
I always have a box of Kleenex next to me when I watch television and movies. Cried during Mama Mia 1 when Meryl sang "Slipping through my fingers" and "The Winner Takes it All." Cried during of Mama Mia 2 when she gave birth alone. Cried a lot during the Greatest Showman, and that was unexpected. I tend to stay away from things I know will be real weepers, but I am still caught during certain stories. I cried in parts of my own book series on rereading it. If an author can make you burst out laughing or crying, they've done their job well.
ReplyDeleteI don’t remember full-on weeping in many years. I cried at times of personal loss or tragedy particularly if I was not ready for the event. My mom was 58 and on the brink of death when my two brothers and I all could not help but bawl. We received word of her death while we were in the midst of our tears.
ReplyDeleteI do tear up at well-done movies or books sometimes. Very often I will see these movies or read these books more than once and I never fail to shed a tear at the same point in the story every time. Kenneth Branaugh and Emma Thompson’s Much Ado about Nothing always gets me. Spoiler alert. At the climax of Searching for Bobby Fischer, the young prodigy has just seen the winning combination that leads to mate in a chess position where he is otherwise weak. His opponent is an aloof and arrogant youngster. In a show of good sportsmanship, he reaches out his hand to offer a draw saying that they could share the trophy. I always cry at that spot. His adversary can’t see the mate and refuses the offer. In a few seconds, the game is over.
David, now I want to see that movie.
DeleteWhat?!? I've never understood that crying tears of joy thing. Crying is for sad, smiling, laughing, beaming is for happy. I just don't get that. Maybe it's a guy thing. I don't think I've ever cried at a movie or TV show, I have sobbed at a passage in a book a few times, though I can't think which ones.
ReplyDeleteBut I do tear up in the face of personal sad events. My very much loved old cat died a couple of weeks ago (had to have her put down) and I still tear up every day.
Well thanks guys. Good thing the tissues are close at hand. Everything I read in this post had me nodding yep, yep and tearing up. Some things I expect to cry about but some surprise me, like a play in baseball by a player I like - not even a great play but I get chills and weepy. At a friend's wedding I barely stifled a little sob as she came down the aisle. This was a work friend, not my sister. I thought I would have to slink out but she told me later how much that meant to her. She was a crier, too. Books? All of them. Movies? Well who didn't sob through the Notebook? My husband told me I would cry so I refused to see it for months. But the all time movie that gets me is An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant. From the time I was 15 and first saw it, once he starts to figure out that maybe she's not just lying on that couch because she's lazy I start to cry. If I'm watching it, thinking about it, telling someone about it, and, yes, typing about it. Every single time.
ReplyDeleteI cannot read or watch anything that shows or talks about animals getting hurt. One book I was reading started with dog fighting and that was it, and I have never read it :'(
ReplyDeleteI can relate to Hallie saying she wells up with "joy" at a live performance. For years I would cry at the choir performances, dance recitals, etc and never knew why. I think that "joy" for the performers is a plausible reason.
ReplyDeleteI cry at the drop of a hat. Yet, somehow, I didn't cry when I read Jenn's At the Drop of a Hat.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a weeper...movies, books, music, just about any happy or sad emotional moment will trigger it. I don’t watch a movie or read a book if I think it’s going to be sad. One thing that really is emotional for me are the clips of kids being surprised by a reunion with a father or mother who has been deployed.
ReplyDeleteI cry fairly easily. The Incredible Journey, the book, both movies, and even describing the plot set me off. The end when the old dog comes home really gets me. There was a movie Cry for Happy that I think I cried at.
ReplyDeleteOh, that old dog. Yes, of course.
DeleteMy waterworks started long ago when I began to have children. That was a while ago, so I'm getting used to it and getting a bit better. But now I have a problem with my eyes watering for ANY emotion, not just crying. I'm embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteI meant IT'S embarrassing, but maybe I am, too.
Delete"Steel Magnolias," oh my! I saw it first in a small, intimate theater on a cruise ship. Most of us were sniffling at Sally Fields' impassioned speech at the funeral scene, when she just wanted to HIT something, but couldn't find anything to hit. Then, that utterly destroying line by Olympia Dukakis: "Then hit Ouiser!" That did it. I snorted loudly, still crying, but now laughing, too, and couldn't stop. My family was embarrassed, and would have walked me out of the theater, but they would have missed the end of that wonderful movie.
ReplyDeleteI still get a bit misty at certain points in good fiction, not as much as in my youth (copious tears on a bus once, reading HUNCHBACK), perhaps because I'm more aware of the art of the writing and the conscious choices. My students laughed a bit when I cried but then said I shouldn't hide it, A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE was genuinely sad.
ReplyDeleteI don't cry as much over events in my life, as I've learned to distance myself sooner from hurtful people. I also am learning to work for change in the wider world, anger and action rather than tears.
The Bridges Of Madison County. Ugly crying.
ReplyDelete