When I was in sixth grade, I was in a class full of bright, creative, highly imaginative kids. I still remember a story one of the boys wrote that involved being stranded somewhere with nothing to eat but “dirt, bugs and two-year-old Cheez Whiz.” Someone bought a container of Cheez Whiz and had our teacher store it until we were in 8th grade, and we had a little party.

None of this is my point.

My point is, sometimes the intelligence and creativity were used to evil ends. For example, one day, some of the boys decided to make a “most wanted” list of girls in our class. Name. Alias. Crimes. Weapon of choice. I only remember a couple of these. Suzanne, for example, for her abuse of “the lead purse.” I don’t remember what my crimes were, but I remember that my weapon was “tears.”

I’ve always been highly emotional, and I am not good at hiding my emotions. My face always gives me away. I do cry at the drop of a hat…and not just when I’m sad. I cry when I’m upset or angry. I’ve been known to cry for joy. I cry when experiencing powerful art. I remember when I went to see Rent here in Buffalo at Shea’s a few years ago, I was practically weeping at the end of the opening number. Ditto for The Lion King.

Back when I got my wisdom teeth removed, I laid around for a day in a painkiller-induced stupor. I watched Armageddon (hey–written by JJ Abrams…sort of. two credits on “story,” two on “adaptation,” and JJ is one of two more on “screenplay”). I was reduced to a weeping puddle of goo at the end. I cry at the end of Lady and the Tramp, even though I know Tramp isn’t really dead. I cry during The Little Mermaid, when Ariel turns back into a mermaid and watches the wedding ship sail away. I cried at the end of about half the episodes of the first season of The West Wing.

I used to apologize for my tearyness…be embarrassed of it…but now it is just one of the many things that I have learned to accept and even embrace.

I caught myself starting to apologize once, while watching a movie with Rand, and he said “Don’t be silly. Your emotions are beautiful.”

My emotions are beautiful.

Take that, boys of 6-A. 😉