Tears of Joy: What Makes Us Smile?

Tears are funny things.  They can come from heartbreak, from loss, from stress—but they can also come from joy.  I’ve always thought of tears as proof of just how deeply I feel.  Sometimes they arrive in the middle of grief, sometimes in relief after holding it together for too long.  Other times in moments of love and laughter, you can’t help but release a tear or two. Joyful tears are obviously my favorite kind because they’re unexpected.  I’m used to the sorrowful tears, so when I get to shed a tear from delight, it’s magical. 

If I think about what truly brings that kind of tear to my eye, my answer is clear and simple: animals.  Dogs, especially.  There’s just something about the way that dogs love unconditionally.  They way they smile with their whole face, the way their tails wag like they’re powered by happiness itself.  My dog is my pride and joy, my little shadow, and my constant.  The way he looks at me with those big puppy-dog eyes, or nudges me with his cold nose, it makes my heart overflow.  Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that it spill out as tears.  I just love dogs—especially mine, so incredibly much. 

Dogs aren’t pets, they’re family members.  They’re my home, and they’re proof that true love exists.  I honestly couldn’t picture my life without dogs.  My heart belongs to them, and nothing makes me cry harder, in the best way, than the sight of an animal radiating love. 

Ridiculous, over the top laughter is another one that produces joyful tears for me.  I tend to get a little intense when it comes to laughing fits.  Once I start, it’s hard for me to stop.  Half of the time, the sound of my own laughter makes me laugh even harder. 

I was with my best friend not that long ago, we we’re hanging out watching a move, and I threw in a sarcastic comment that had us both cracking up.  We nearly doubled over.  It was the kind of laughter that makes your cheeks and stomach hurt.  The kind where you can barely breathe in between laughs.  In that moment joyful tears flowed down my face, and that ignites a natural high of happiness. 

And then there are more tender ones.  Moments with my mom mean everything to me.  When I get the opportunity to see her smile, or hear her laugh, it makes me feel both happiness and relief.  Those are the moments that remind me that life is precious, and how it’s important to be present and notice that while we can. 

So yes, what brings a tear of joy to my eye? Dogs. My family.  Friends who make laugh until I nearly pee my pants. They’re moments that remind me I am loved, that I belong, and that joy is still possible, even in the hardest of times.  

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Thích Nhất Hạnh