Hey, you.

First, you must know your furrowed brow in this moment does not take away from how bright your smile can shine. Those moments have their own time and place, but right now allow that tear to trickle down your face. It's real. It's part of your story. Your tears are valid.

Don't ever let someone tell you you cry too much - I don't think there's such thing. If every tear you shed is created from you feeling deeply, there ought to be more of them. You ought to cry when you step outside and feel the cool spring breeze caress your face, when you see a vibrant sunset grow unprecedentedly more beautiful on the horizon. You ought to cry when your family surrounds you in a tight embrace, and when you can no longer feel their arms around you. You ought to cry from the deep belly laughter that cramps your sides, only because you cannot imagine moments filled with more joy than when you're among the best and most kindred of spirits. And yes - even now, when you've allowed yourself to speak a little more than normal - share a bit more of your heart than you usually do - and you've been crushed, you ought to cry. It means you loved someone enough to be real with them, even if they couldn't be real back.

Look back on all the times you've cried. Do you regret them? I really don't think I do. In every moment, the tears were there because they needed to be. They are perfectly justified. So in your heartache right now, know this: the pain will not last, and someday when you think back to the hot tears that traipsed down your cheeks, you'll see the reason, and hopefully the growth, and you won't regret it.

Pain and the lack of it make you aware of how deep your senses reach and how numb you must be to feel nothing at all. Do not be numb. What good is life if you don't allow yourself to be moved by some beauty and some pain? Why be content with an invariable existence? Live fully, explosively, passionately, whimsically - and don't be ashamed of some tears shed along the way, because feeling deeply is a gift.