Absence makes the heart grow fonder???

I am not a big fan of adages, axioms and other cliches people tend to volley about. I once knew a salesman who loved to throw out the same tired old phrases day after day. It gets old, tiresome.

The worst of these utterances tend to be centered around affairs of the heart. "There's someone for everyone", "There are other fish in the sea", blah blah blah...

Yesterday I ran into someone I haven't seen for a while. Things have changed. Absence makes the heart grow fonder? No it doesn't, at least not for me. Maybe I am not as sentimental as other people but time away doesn't cause me to just dream of getting together again. I spend the time looking at whether it makes sense to meet again. If the separation is due to external influence, maybe it does.

In this case it was a general drifting apart and in the intervening time I realized things were going nowhere anyway. Do I have any hard feelings? No. I am more indifferent than anything. Maybe that's cold but I tire of putting energy into going nowhere.

What about the others? There are other fish in the sea. That's little more than a lousy metaphor. It may be comfort to those who need constant reassurance but it pushes people to rush into looking for replacements for the one they lost.

There's someone for everyone? That's unrealistic. Statistically there are always outliers in any large population. If there were any truth to that statement we would not likely see such a large divorce rate today. Perhaps the main reason the divorce rate was much lower in the past was due to the stigma involved. People stayed, miserable, rather than be branded a divorcee.

When was the last time you cried?

That was the question a friend asked me a few years ago. I honestly cannot remember. It was quite a long time ago, perhaps in childhood. She seemed to think there was something wrong with that. I hadn't really given it much thought. I have wondered what brought that question up. I don't recall whether I asked her, though I likely did without receiving an answer.

The fact of the matter is, I doubt I have the ability to cry. It is not in my nature. We all react differently to stress. Women usually are more likely to cry, though I have known men who cried as well. I make no judgements on that. I just don't do it.

I suppose I just developed a thick skin while growing up. Perhaps I never felt any better after crying so it just fell by the wayside. Mostly I am not given to emotional display. What I feel may not be apparent to those around me.

So what would it take to make me cry? I honestly do not know. I have been through the loss of good friends, one through death, job loss, lost love, etc... and they didn't bring me to tears. Is this heaalthy? Some say no and I don't know. Maybe it depends upon the individual.

So, when did you last cry...and why?