As I get older, and I suppose feel closer to the world as the years pass, I'm far more easily tipped into tears than I used to be. Things people casually say in passing, or seeing a small kindnesses out of the blue, or songs or T.V adverts, or following a path of thoughts rising, all of it can spill tears as easily as the proverbial milk, which I would definitely cry about now ;)
Last summer my wife and visited the old square we first lived together. We sat in the cafe in the sun and ate something small and had a beer and it was so lovely that we both spontaneously started welling up and tearing like a couple of lunatics, except it's not lunacy, it's as you so beautifully say, an expression of our "heart’s glorious, irresistible mush."
I really like this In Defense Of ... series. That was a great read.
Oh Kimberly, this is heart wrenching and beautiful…. “My heart waits patiently; her love is no antidote to suffering but a companion—enduring and steady. She doesn’t fear the wreckage.” I have not allowed the images into my heart for fear of the damage, the pain, helplessness, and I have felt cold hearted for it. I will watch, and feel and I shall not fear the wreckage, and my heart too, will be a companion ✨💛
I couldn't agree more with your defense of sentimentality. It's a complicated thing because it dwells at the edge of performance which can call into question the authenticity of the feeling behind it. As you so rightly point out in this piece, it's the directness, the raw vulnerability that people shun because it's perhaps something they long for, but can't allow themselves.
So true. The performance element is so easy to detect though right? Earnest sentimentality gives me goosebumps whereas performative sentimentality shouts, "Run away!!!!" :)
I defend everyone's right to being sentimental at least once a week, and how ever many times feels right. It's such a freeing, softening feeling. Since my grandmother died, my floodgates have widely opened, heart raw but receptive. Thank you for reminding us to feel and be tender again. :-* <3
Beautiful as always, Kim. Great to see you on screen today, too 💛
Some months back, I was curious whether sad/evocative songs were as beneficial for your brain as happy songs. So I googled it and included the link in one of my posts. It turns out they are! 😌
Today is definitely a day for this. Thank you for reminding me of Windham Hill’s delicate tranquility and George Winston’s piano--my mum's fave and I think it might be a night for it. xo
Perhaps we could say sentimentality is escapism at its very best, a staring into abyss with such emotional honesty that it ends up shooting us out the other side where we finally feel perspective and freedom from it? I dunno. Just a thought.:)
Beautiful and true. You always manage to capture in words what so few (if any) could adequately express.
"If you let her, she really can’t resist."
I've found it incredibly hard seeing the devastation wrought by the fires, and am equally alarmed at how the news cycle over here seems to have now moved on to other things. The spirit is strong, though, and I have hope and confidence in the positivity of community in the face of such tragedy.
Thank you for this post, Kimberly. Like others, I feel the rush of sentimentality and emotion far more easily as I advance through the years, and I have come to appreciate this is no bad thing.
Oh Kimberly,this whole essay, did you look into my heart, pull out all the soft bits!
My grandfather was the most sentimental gentle unassuming human I have ever known, his gift to me, his strong bond with sentimentality.
I have been ridiculed and laughed at when I've cried under a glowing moon, or a path that meanders down through a woodland so enchanting it feels like walking in a masterpiece - there are masterpieces everywhere and anywhere - when I hear my classes sing, the beautiful velvety nose of my first dog Blue, a film, a song, a devotion, the light puddle in my tiny forest. I cannot set foot in a church without tears welling, when I think of my sisters that I never see, a devastated land and don't even mention the children in Mayotte/Palestine or any other country you would need ten bath-tubs to catch my tears! The list an endless gushing of tears endless too...
"My heart waits patiently; her love is no antidote to suffering but a companion—enduring and steady."
This, where you gather in words the sentiment of the sentimentalist - its perfect!
I didn't need to peer into your heart Susie, it spills out over everything you write. :) And I love you all the more for it. You'd make your grandfather proud. xo
Thank you Carissa. I like the idea of sentimentality becoming a prayer. Prayer without feeling (like the kind Dave said he learned as a dutiful conservative Baptist kid), seem pointless, void of earnestness, like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance—"for witches stand..." :)
Another breath of fresh air! Thanks Kimberly.
As I get older, and I suppose feel closer to the world as the years pass, I'm far more easily tipped into tears than I used to be. Things people casually say in passing, or seeing a small kindnesses out of the blue, or songs or T.V adverts, or following a path of thoughts rising, all of it can spill tears as easily as the proverbial milk, which I would definitely cry about now ;)
Last summer my wife and visited the old square we first lived together. We sat in the cafe in the sun and ate something small and had a beer and it was so lovely that we both spontaneously started welling up and tearing like a couple of lunatics, except it's not lunacy, it's as you so beautifully say, an expression of our "heart’s glorious, irresistible mush."
I really like this In Defense Of ... series. That was a great read.
After reading this I vow never to feel embarrassed or angry with myself for crying during cheesy maudlin movies. I’ll just enjoy it! Thanks Kimberly
I'll join you in that vow! Bring on 90's Hugh Grant films!
Beautifully written, Kimberly. It's great to see images of the angels helping those in need. My thoughts with everyone impacted by the fires.
Thank you Ollie. I agree, it was a powerful montage and definitely got things thawing in me.
Oh Kimberly, this is heart wrenching and beautiful…. “My heart waits patiently; her love is no antidote to suffering but a companion—enduring and steady. She doesn’t fear the wreckage.” I have not allowed the images into my heart for fear of the damage, the pain, helplessness, and I have felt cold hearted for it. I will watch, and feel and I shall not fear the wreckage, and my heart too, will be a companion ✨💛
Awww, so beautiful Emily. It's not easy to break. But as I was just reminded by one of my favorite poets, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer:
For months now, the days darken.
This signals the trees to stop making chlorophyll,
and, in its absence, other pigments in the leaves can be seen.
Yellow flavonols. Orange carotenoids.
Red anthocyanins.
They adorn each tree with such radiance, such honest treasure—
a beauty that was always there,
concealed beneath the green.
Touch me, I want to say to the darkness.
or perhaps more truly, I say to the self,
be touched, be touched as if you are a tree.
Let what you know of yourself break down.
What hidden gold might be revealed then?
What amber? What astonishing vermillion?
Such a lovely poem and analogy 💛 thank you for sharing it xx
Thanks for sharing that JK montage, Kim - the coverage over here is muted through the online-only lens. 💜
I couldn't agree more with your defense of sentimentality. It's a complicated thing because it dwells at the edge of performance which can call into question the authenticity of the feeling behind it. As you so rightly point out in this piece, it's the directness, the raw vulnerability that people shun because it's perhaps something they long for, but can't allow themselves.
So true. The performance element is so easy to detect though right? Earnest sentimentality gives me goosebumps whereas performative sentimentality shouts, "Run away!!!!" :)
I defend everyone's right to being sentimental at least once a week, and how ever many times feels right. It's such a freeing, softening feeling. Since my grandmother died, my floodgates have widely opened, heart raw but receptive. Thank you for reminding us to feel and be tender again. :-* <3
Beautiful as always, Kim. Great to see you on screen today, too 💛
Some months back, I was curious whether sad/evocative songs were as beneficial for your brain as happy songs. So I googled it and included the link in one of my posts. It turns out they are! 😌
Seeing you today felt so special Amy. What an incredible gathering of humans.
I’m so glad the research backs up what our bodies have felt all along! 🙏❤️
Elton John had it right: “sad songs say so much” 🎶
Just gorgeous Kimberly. I'm all in for the sentimentality xx
Thank you Jane. From one mushy heart to another. 🙏
Today is definitely a day for this. Thank you for reminding me of Windham Hill’s delicate tranquility and George Winston’s piano--my mum's fave and I think it might be a night for it. xo
Perhaps we could say sentimentality is escapism at its very best, a staring into abyss with such emotional honesty that it ends up shooting us out the other side where we finally feel perspective and freedom from it? I dunno. Just a thought.:)
Beautiful and true. You always manage to capture in words what so few (if any) could adequately express.
"If you let her, she really can’t resist."
I've found it incredibly hard seeing the devastation wrought by the fires, and am equally alarmed at how the news cycle over here seems to have now moved on to other things. The spirit is strong, though, and I have hope and confidence in the positivity of community in the face of such tragedy.
Thank you for this post, Kimberly. Like others, I feel the rush of sentimentality and emotion far more easily as I advance through the years, and I have come to appreciate this is no bad thing.
Isn’t that a funny thing, like age literally thinning our skin so our boundaries are less defined, more permeable.
That's a great way to think of it!
Oh Kimberly,this whole essay, did you look into my heart, pull out all the soft bits!
My grandfather was the most sentimental gentle unassuming human I have ever known, his gift to me, his strong bond with sentimentality.
I have been ridiculed and laughed at when I've cried under a glowing moon, or a path that meanders down through a woodland so enchanting it feels like walking in a masterpiece - there are masterpieces everywhere and anywhere - when I hear my classes sing, the beautiful velvety nose of my first dog Blue, a film, a song, a devotion, the light puddle in my tiny forest. I cannot set foot in a church without tears welling, when I think of my sisters that I never see, a devastated land and don't even mention the children in Mayotte/Palestine or any other country you would need ten bath-tubs to catch my tears! The list an endless gushing of tears endless too...
"My heart waits patiently; her love is no antidote to suffering but a companion—enduring and steady."
This, where you gather in words the sentiment of the sentimentalist - its perfect!
Love in tear-filled buckets 🥲x
I didn't need to peer into your heart Susie, it spills out over everything you write. :) And I love you all the more for it. You'd make your grandfather proud. xo
that opening poem is astonishing 🙏
as for sentimentality and its shunning i say where would we be without the occasional Sinatra or Edith Piaf song?
your empathetic searching heart is a true first responder
Awwwww!!! This might be the kindest thing anyone’s ever said to me! ❤️
Ps. I LLVE Edith Piaf! Did you see La Vie en Rose?
- - gasp - - Thank you Kimberly. This arrived as a gift.
So beautifully written. I love sentimentality. It can become a prayer, a positive energy. It's love in its truest form.
Thank you Carissa. I like the idea of sentimentality becoming a prayer. Prayer without feeling (like the kind Dave said he learned as a dutiful conservative Baptist kid), seem pointless, void of earnestness, like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance—"for witches stand..." :)
I weep for those who lost their homes and livelihoods. ❤️