Originally published June 3, 2012

During my daily walk on the White Rock promenade yesterday, I passed a young woman sitting alone at the bus stop, crying out loud.

That made me curious.

The lady didn’t appear to be in any danger.

She was well-dressed, so she was probably not homeless and wasn’t holding a cardboard sign asking for donations.

Nope. 

She was sitting there, all alone and crying.

As I passed by, she looked up at me, and we briefly made eye contact – but then she quickly looked away.

I could tell that she was not embarrassed to be crying. She probably looked away to signal to me that she did not want or need any assistance from anyone.

So, I smiled at her and continued my climb up the ‘Hump’ (hill) between East Beach and West Beach.

I wondered if she was crying because of a broken heart.

Maybe someone close to her – a family member or friend- had just passed away.

Or maybe she lost her job and didn’t know how she would pay this month’s rent.

Perhaps her pet just passed away – (which is like losing a family member).

I have cried over each of those kinds of hurt (and probably a few others, too)—both publicly and privately.

But it always hurts when I see somebody crying – even if that person is a stranger.  

I want to give them a big hug and tell them that everything is going to be okay.

However, sometimes, I know that things will not get better—and certainly not because of a hug of sympathy from me.

As I continued walking, I thought about other people I’d seen crying and wondered how they were doing now.

They say that time heals – but maybe not always.

A few years ago, I was on the film set of a documentary.

The scene took place at the site of a terrible auto accident – one vehicle on its roof, its occupants thrown out onto the street, and they were either dead or dying.

The other vehicle was filled with teenagers, all lying motionless, and they were dead or dying.

I played the father of one of the teenagers killed in the accident, and was standing beside the damaged vehicle with a lady who played my wife.

The director came over to us as they were “blocking” the scene and told us that he wanted us to act with lots of emotion – our daughter was inside the vehicle – and we had just learned that she was dead.

As the production people set up the equipment for the shoot, I turned to the lady playing my wife and asked her to rehearse the scene with me.

Even though directors usually do several rehearsals before shooting a scene, most actors will rehearse the scene with each other until they feel they have the right chemistry.

Anyway, the lady looked at me and said that she had never cried before and was unsure how to express her emotions.

I was shocked – and asked if she was joking with me.

No, I have never, ever, cried before! ~ Actress

You must be kidding! You’ve never had a death in your family – a loved pet die – or a broken romance? ~ Me

I was stunned (not my usual stunned self – but extremely stunned)!

The concerned look on her face told me she was being truthful—or maybe she was bonkers!

Maybe she had a mental condition – I have read about them and know that they will do anything to conceal their true nature.

And here I was – ready to do an emotional scene – with lots of hugging and crying – with an unemotional zombie?

We played the scene with me crying and her hugging and comforting me.

And she was as cold as ice.

Tears were running down my cheeks – and a zombie was hugging me!

It turns out that the lady who played my wife was the mother of the actress playing our daughter.

I cannot fathom living without the capacity to feel or express emotion.

Hopefully, the apple falls far from the tree!

In hindsight, I should have asked the lady if she could feel love.

********

Anyway, back to my walk on the Promenade.

I hoped the woman would still be at the bus stop on the return leg of my walk.

I was surprised to see a crowd gathering as I approached the area.

Cars were stopped on the street.

I quickened my pace – something terrible must have happened to that sad woman I had passed earlier.

Why did I not stop to ask her if she needed someone to talk to?

Maybe I could have done something – anything!

Suddenly, I noticed what all the commotion was about.

A mother duck and her five ducklings were crossing Marine Drive, and all the vehicles had stopped to let them safely cross the street. 

So, everything was okay!

However, it was too late for me – the sky was already crying.

But they were tears of joy!

Dedicated to the Mother Duck & her ducklings.

I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.

Hugs,

Danny

Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):

When your day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
When you’re sure you’ve had enough
Of this life, well hang on

Don’t let yourself go.
‘Cause everybody cries
Everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong.
Now it’s time to sing along.
When your day is night alone (Hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (Hold on)
If you think you’ve had too much
Of this life, well hang on

‘Cause everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts

Don’t throw your hand, oh no.
Don’t throw your hand.
If you feel like you’re alone
No, no, no, you are not alone.

If you’re on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you’ve had too much
Of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes.
Everybody cries
Everybody hurts, sometimes.
Everybody hurts sometimes.

So hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts
No, no, no, no, no, you’re not alone

Songwriters: Peter Buck, Michael Mills, William Berry, & John Stipe

Here are other songs I’m listening to: These Songs Will Make You Smile Today.