It's Okay To Cry : Devon Mitchell

When I was a small child I wrecked a minibike the first time I rode one. The motorcycle landed on top of me. The shorts that I was wearing offered no protection as the hot exhaust manifold rested on the flesh of my upper left inner thigh. After pulling myself from under the pile, I quietly pushed the motorbike back to the house of my friend whom the bike belonged, and rested on a little wall at the edge of the flower garden to catch my breath. Soon my mother noticed that something simply was not right- and inquired. I said calmly that I was hurt. Seeing no obvious injuries she took me to a private place to examine my wound. As I revealed the flesh that was dripping from my leg she nearly vomited and called for my father and the mother of the house (who happened to be a nurse)- each of their reactions mimicked my mother's nausea. My father then said the most comforting words that have ever been spoken to me. Reassuringly he said, "Devon, you know that it is ok to cry right?" It was not before that moment that I gave way to weeping. I cried out with all of me the hurt that I was holding inside. As I look back on that lesson I see an obvious but lacking truth. Each of us faces moments in these critical times, that are hard to deal with, and all we need is to be told that it is alright to cry. To be reminded that the pain we feel is real, and to know that we are not alone and we have people who love us and hurt because we hurt. So I say to anyone struggling with any pain- obvious or hidden- the words of my father, Keith Mitchell, the strongest man I have ever known... It is alright to cry, you are not alone. I encourage you to honor your pain. The reason people have do not hold space for others is that they have not held space for themselves. Be where you are- this won't last forever. I honor you and encourage you to do the same.