You’ve cried in public. So what.

There’s something about trains, planes, and buses that makes me nostalgic. The moment I find my seat, it’s likely a wave of sadness will come over me. I’m inclined to say it happens for no particular reason, but there is a reason. I live in a city. I’m often distracted, overstimulated, and always in motion—moving from place to place, engaging with the world like I’m in a video game. When I’m forced to pause, to sit and drop into my own personal space, I’m flooded with everything I’ve tucked away just to survive.

My feelings surface when I’m in a moving vehicle. I’ve heard some babies can only be soothed by a car ride. I think I’m that baby.

I’ve had profoundly sad moments while traveling in moving vehicles.

I wept on a bus after separating from my then-love, not knowing it was the last time I would see him.

I cried flying from NYC to SFO after a month of holding it together following my father’s unexpected death.

I sobbed in a café while pleading with an ex to take me back after I acted like a total asshole. (They did not.)

My feelings surface when I’m exercising.

I’ve cried in yoga classes and at the gym. When I get moving, stored memories and emotions are released.

My feelings surface in waiting rooms.

I’ve felt hopeless desperation in hospital waiting rooms, doctor’s offices, and courthouses—welling up in anticipation of both good and bad news.

My feelings surface in bookstores, spas, forests, and movie theaters.

I feel my nervous system relax in these quiet environments. It’s not always sadness that rises in these public moments. Sometimes it’s joy, relief, or the simple witnessing of something beautiful.

Crying in public is just part of being human—it’s messy, it’s vulnerable, and sometimes, it’s the most natural way to let go of what we’ve been holding inside. Whether it’s on a bus, in a bookstore, or mid-yoga class, those emotions deserve to be felt, not hidden. So the next time the tears come, embrace them—because public or not, they’re a sign you’re still here, still feeling, still alive.

Read:

The Art Of Crying: The Healing Power of Tears by Pepita Sandwhich

*Lots more to say on stored emotions and flooding. Stay tuned.