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7.30.2011

saturday morning movie date


i believe in crying the way most people believe in exercise.

that it should be engaged in often and that it's essential for the health of the body.

i'm in need of a cry. a good cry, a solid cry. i'm not terribly sure why, all i know is  i can feel my body calling out for it.

usually when this happens there's a backlog of tears and i never find the release until that fated moment when i hit the top of my head on the underside of the bathroom's standing sink.  it doesn't hurt much--it never does--but it results in pretty substantial heaves and me crumpled despairingly against the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. (i've lived a life on that bathroom floor).

to prevent this i'm taking myself to the movies this morning. a date! for (with) myself!  i've indulged in a medium soy chai latte (fear of soy and sugar be damned today!). a six dollar movie ticket, a cool, dark theatre, and a space in which to silently water my soul? huzzah! (does that sound dramatic and cliche? that watering of the soul? oh but it is! this is all serious and important work i'm going about.)

alright, must be off, i'll let you know how it goes.



image credit: unknown
(if anyone does know who
this is by please comment below).

50 comments:

JacPfef said...

i started taking myself out on dates about two years ago. First, that movie. Next, that trip to San Francisco. Now I don't go two weeks without treating myself to something solo. It's good for the soul.

Enjoy!
xx

Emily said...

So often I feel as though your posts take the words right out of my head. I love the "oh, me too..." feeling I get when I read them.

So, yes! me too! I'm due for a good cry but it just. won't. come. And - the bathroom floor knows me well, too.

Sending you a hug for when the tears do arrive! xo

kate said...

Funny. I'm taking myself to the movie today as well. I'm a huge fan of going to the movies by yourself.

homeseed said...

ahhhh....i had some good cries this week. they had been pent-up for a long time! i had no idea. your saturday date with yourself sounds lovely. the wonderful time to reflect and absorb. and cry. i hope you're seeing something beautiful :)

Jenni Austria Germany said...

a $6 movie ticket...niiiice.

Anonymous said...

haha, I'm the same way...sometimes I'm just in need of a good cry for no particular reason.

have fun on your date with yourself :) Sometimes those are the best!

Dee Paulino said...

yes, yes, yes... I have felt like this, and when I do, I read a romance novel or watch a movie all by myself. it really does the trick, its so liberating it liberates the soul.

Megan Allen said...

Going to movies alone is pretty high up on my list of favorite things. Usually I choose early matinees, movies that a lot of people won't be at and I'm usually one of five people in the theatre. Last night though, I went to a new movie. At 9:30 on a Saturday. It was packed. I was alone. And I loved it.

Alissa Anne said...

Oh how I love a good cry. I'm one of those people who is kind of incapable of crying in front of others, but I can breakdown alone just fine. Something about that release, feeling so raw and alive in a quiet, private moment is momentous. Important and crucial. I hope you end up having the day you need.

KristyWes said...

Yup. Cathartic crying on the bathroom floor. I know exactly of which you speak. :)

Spratt said...

What movie did you see?
The two best movies I have seen all summer are The Tree of Life, and Midnight in Paris. I think you would enjoy both of them. I know many people found The Tree of Life to be very emotional, and may provide you the cry you feel you need.
:)

Amanda Blair said...

Going to the movies by myself is one of my all time favorite activities! I also think crying is a healthy release, I know when I let myself cry it out I feel 100%better!

Really love your blog :)

Diana Teodoro said...

"i believe in crying the way most people believe in exercise.

that it should be engaged in often and that it's essential for the health of the body. "

Thanks for putting my philosophy of life in two very simple sentences!:)

Alivia said...

I read your blog like some people read self-help books. I find serenity in identifying with your beautiful words
<3

P.S. If you ever need a good cry and feel like staying in, watch, or better yet *read* The Road. One of the best movies I have ever seen but it makes me weep like a baby, and the book reads so quickly you could be done in an afternoon.

kelly said...

Love going to the movies by myself, always makes me feel like the perfect mix of awesome rebel and desperate loner ;)

I agree, a round of cries for everyone!!

Laura C said...

Oh heaven I believe in a good cry. The Way We Were always does it for me. Enjoy your movie date!

Alexa said...

Thank goodness for you and all the lovely people on here that believe in the power of a good cry. Honestly, to just let those tears roll is a cathartic experience for me and one I always think is necessary to maintain an inner balance. Hope you had a good date with yourself at the movies today! :)

Emily said...

You are a woman after my own heart!! I love solo movie dates - they are manna for the soul. I hope you find the solace and comfort you are looking for!! Sending you hugs! xoxo

Anonymous said...

I like the movies that let me cry on my own, without manipulating me. Like Bridesmaids. There was something so raw about Kristin Wiig's character. I don't think we were supposed to cry in that movie, but I did. A lot.

Kaleena J. said...

i go to movies alone all the time!

Elizabeth said...

oh i have been there... i normally break down on the side of a sidewalk... where strangers gawk at me. i have the worst timing.

The Childlike Empress said...

when i feel like that i always remember one of my favourite quotes from The Garden State -

What do you do? You laugh. I'm not saying I don't cry, but in between, I laugh. And I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously. Plus, I look forward to a good cry. It feels pretty good.

Cassie said...

do enjoy a good cry, friend. it sounds so doomfull, but i think I understand. :)

and a movie by your lonesome?! i so need to try this sometime.

xx, Cassie

Unknown said...

I think this is beautiful and I completely agree with you on the need for therapeutic crying on a regular basis! Good for the soul!

theoxfordcomma said...

'... i never find the release until that fated moment when i hit the top of my head on the underside of the bathroom's standing sink'

Until I read that, I didn't realise that I do exactly the same -- especially when I hit my nose on something. Tears. Every. Time.

I hope there comes a day when neither of us feel that backlog of tears building up.

Katie said...

My Mom always swears that everyone needs a good cry every now and then. Lucky for me, I'm an easy movie crier, it takes practically nothing at all to get the waterworks started! Ps. You're blog is lovely and I'm going to start following you ASAP :)

laurrdunn said...

thank you for putting into words, how me (and i know a billion other people), feel everyday. you are an amazingly talented and inspiring writer.

molly b. said...

So thank you for the comment on my blog and ps... I pretty much love you. ;)

Taylor said...

So what did you see and what was the verdict?

Lilacs said...

I love your blog, both eloquent and elegant.

Anonymous said...

I took myself on a 'date' yesterday too. Seemed like the day for it :)

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who is curious as to what movie you saw?

MEG said...

If the movie doesn't work, I recommend reading "Two Kisses for Maddy". Not only is it a beautiful book but I cried from start to finish. And when I finished I considered starting it again. It will purge your tears, I promise. Good luck.

sarah nicole said...

I agree! There are times when nothing beats a good cry. I always feel so refreshed and ready for new things afterward. I hope the movie was therapeutic! And I hope your adventures in veganism are going well. : )

xo,

Sarah

AprilAppleSeed said...

oh soul sister, you should watch Never Let Me Go...you'd love love love it.

hmm, what'd you end up watching?

jill said...

Yes I am curious to which movie you saw as well... Last movie I cried during was Harry Potter 7.2 well that is the last time I cried too. Sometimes I believe crying is good, but other times I find it quite exhausting!

Hannah said...

I fell the exact same way!! I am so glad I'm not the only one. For all intensive purposes crying is exercise, reason or not it needs to happen. Thank you for writing beautiful thoughts, and giving me a better name for a good cry! What is life without a good pour on the soul? :)

katilda said...

i'm so not good at doing things alone....but this sounds lovely. maybe a morning, solo trip to the theatre is in my near future. will let you know...

Anonymous said...

Everyone needs a good release, emotionally, physically, a moment to let go and just BE. Does wonders for the heart and mind.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

http://www.skinnyjeansmom.com/

April said...

I hope your date goes well. I take myself on movie dates pretty regularly, especially when I'm sad. It's such a sweet feeling to be in the darkness alone.

Unknown said...

um we are twins. if i don't cry every once in a while, my body begs for it. Hence the recent explosion of tears i had last week. oh i hope the movie worked! got those tears going.

and isn't a date with yourself to the movies one so much pleasure? i'm always surprised to find people have never been alone. huh? confessions of an introvert = me.

Kara said...

wow, nothing feels better than a good cry! i like to have one at least once per week. movies are so good for helping that along!

p.s. - i've NEVER gone to the movies by myself, ever. this sounds really appealing, maybe i should give it a try!

Jessica said...

I completely concur in the healing benefits of a good cry. I hope your movie was everything you'd hoped for and you emerged refreshed and feeling cleansed!

Alex said...

I hope the movie date went splendidly! It's something I rather enjoy.

michal said...

I believe so wholeheartedly in taking oneself on dates and outings, and in spending time with oneself so as to promote not only self-respect and -appreciation, but (i daresay) a friendship with yourself!

I also believe in soy chai lattes, and so. you've really got it figured out.

jackie said...

i've been away from the internet all weekend and i come home to a shitload of blogs to catch up on and e-mails and facebook and all that, but i always save yours for last. i want time to reread them again and again and let them sink in. you're an absolutely beautiful writer. especially the post above this one, your latest letter to your someday husband. you have such a beautiful soul.

Rachael said...

I've been needing to cry for about 6 months. I don't get fully knocked over the edge so it just sits there. Maybe I should follow your lead and put myself in a dark theater with a sad movie.

Why are you afraid of soy?

Betsy said...

I also love(?) a good cry. Well perhaps I don't love it, but there comes a time when I need it. I always feel so much better afterwards.

Unknown said...

Wow, I love your writing skills, it felt like I was reading a short novel or poem with intense emotion :)....As for the actual content of this post: I feel the same way. A good cry where you "silently water [your] soul" is very healthy as long as it isn't often.

Jennifer M. said...

I swear we're kindred spirits. I totally know what you mean about a good cry. I sometimes am afraid to let it out, but you're right that a good cry is a very good and healing thing.

Also, I LOVE going to the movies by myself. There's just something awesome and relaxing about settling into a big-screen movie and letting the storyline suck me into it for a couple hours. I hadn't thought of trying a sad theatre movie, though. That's a good idea.

Sometimes I just pretend to go to bed early to escape my roommate and instead watch a crying movie on my laptop - something like Stepmom or The Notebook. That's also a great way to get it all out!