“ When it’s time to suffer, you should suffer; when it’s time to cry, you should cry. Cry completely. Cry until there are no more tears and then recognize in your exhaustion that you’re alive. The sun still rises and sets.  The seasons come and go. Absolutely nothing remains the same and that includes suffering. When the suffering ends wisdom begins to raise the right questions.”

Seido Ray Ronci, The Examined Life

I subscribe to Tricycle Magazine’s, Daily Dharma.  Every morning a new quote is sent my way and most of the time I’m very taken with what it has to say. I often take a quote into the day with me as a mantra, a way of dealing with what unfolds as the sun moves across the sky and evening descends.

There have been many times in my life when I could have used this quote to help me through a particularly painful bump in the road when I wouldn’t allow myself to cry … or scream, or even laugh.

I can remember times when I cried myself to sleep. When there was absolutely nothing left inside of me that could produce another tear. When I woke it felt like I had been lifted out of the fog. Things looked brighter. I may still have been feeling sad or hurt, but there was always a new energy available that helped me get up on my feet and move forward.

There have also been times when I wouldn’t allow myself cry, or scream. I walked through my days as if in a trance, retelling myself the story of what had brought me to this point, unable to put it aside in its own place.  There was no relief from the darkness. Unlit days melted into the night without the benefit of wisdom. Sometimes it took hours or days to find the glow in the distance of time.  Sometimes it took months or even years before I allowed the sun to burn it’s way into my life.

I love this quote because you can take it a few steps further and say that when it’s time to laugh, you should laugh yourself silly … pee your pants … snort and guffaw … and spread the joy.  It’s about the here and now.  This very moment. The only one we have

Whether you need to cry, laugh, scream, dance or roar like a lion, do it with all of your heart and soul. Use it. You will be the better for it and wisdom will be yours.

When was the last time you cried your eyes dry or had a fit of laughter that left you feeling on top of the world?