MAN!!!

Recently, I discovered something about myself. I can't stick to walls like Spiderman. I can't fly like Superman. I don't even live in a cave like Batman. I have a huge weakness. It is my Kryptonite. I don't think that any other man has this quality. It is not a super strength. It is a super weakness.

I tend to cry a lot!

That's right. I cry a lot. I don't mean to. I can't help it. It just happens at the most unfortunate moments of my day and night. Most of the time, it happens for no reason anywhere. I can't even control it. It just happens!!

Here is a case in point. The other day, I was standing in front of my house. I was reminiscing about my younger days. I am now a 64 year old man. I have been living in the same domicile since I was a mere lad of 2 years old. I stood for a while just thinking about my neighbors who, thanks to death, were long gone. I thought about the memories of them when it started. The tears welled up in my eyes and started flowing line a mini river. Yes, I started crying. Wiping my eyes did no good. Here was a burly gent who cried like a 3 year old out in public.

On another occasion, I was in my car at a stop light. I was driving westbound around 5 PM. Again, the tears made another appearance on my face. I thought about all the friends I met in high school who, for some reason, were no longer around. Some died. Others just moved away. Yup. It was tears time again.

What is with the tears? I really don't know. For the majority of my life, I had to deal with overactive tear ducts. I've had many people look at me and ask why I was crying. No matter how much I told them, they would not buy the fact that I had a medical situation.This, however, is not connected to any medical property. I was actually crying. It came with sniffles and....PAIN! It was the pain that one feels at a loss of a sibling, parent, friend, spouse or so on. I felt it.

They say that real men do this. Really? I doubt that When does it happen? Where can I go to see the proof? I am sure that it may happen at funerals. That can be expected. I am sure that it often happens as a result of physical pain. That is all I know of. Everything else is a surprise to me. I have yet to see my best friend cry and I have known him since 1972. I have never seen other men cry as well.

There was one time I saw a man cry. It was my Dad. One day, I had to take my parents and niece to see my baby sister, my oldest niece's Mom. Dad stayed at the grave site for about 5 minutes. Then, he walked a few rows away. When I looked at him, I noticed that he broke down. He was having an extremely difficult time dealing with and accepting that she was gone. It was very tough on him. I understood very well. He was in extreme emotional pain. He lost his only daughter, the gem of his life.

Do REAL men cry? Yes, my Dad cried, but I haven't seen others do so.

Women, on the other hand, cry all the time. They don't even need a reason. They not only cry at bad news. They also cry at good news as well. They call this situation "Tears of Joy." Let a woman get engaged. She will cry at her acceptance. Her friends will also join in with T.O.J. We guys don't do that. Instead, when one of our buddies announces that he is getting married, we will hive-five each other to death or just belly bump each other until it is time for a drink. Superman NEVER cried and he was the strongest man in Metropolis. Batman never cried under his cowl. So, why must I do it?

Are tears a sign of weakness or a sign of strength?

I must be a real man. It is just that I like to reveal myself ass one who does not hide his emotions. I put my feelings out there according to the situation. II feel that crying can be appropriate at the right time. I forget who said it, but I remember a comedian who once said, " If you get on a bus, you could cry all day long. Nobody would bother you. On the other hand, if you get on a bus and you start laughing for five minutes, they will take you away." I may be the Joker, but I am not gonna start laughing on a bus for no reason.

Until somebody can explain this to me, I only have one thing to say:

¡Yo soy un hombre!