I'm Emily P. Freeman and welcome to The Next Right Thing. You're listening to Episode 375.

This is a podcast about making decisions, but also about making a life. If you struggle with

decision fatigue, chronic hesitation, or if you just need a few minutes away from the constant

stream of information, and the sometimes

delightful but distracting hum of entertainment, you're in the right place for discerning your next

right thing.

I'm an author, a spiritual director, and an occasional workshop leader.

I live in North Carolina with my family, and through my work, I've helped thousands of

spiritually thoughtful people overcome decision fatigue so that they

can discern their next right thing in faith, work, and life. An often unspoken spiritual practice,

one that does not make it into sermons or how-to guides, is the unconventional practice of crying

in your kitchen.

More specifically, navigating surprising or unwelcome emotion with kindness rather than control.

Listen in.

Over the last few months, it's happened a handful of times where I'll be doing something normal, like walking through the store or checking my email or reading a book, cleaning my kitchen

or my office, and then something comes to mind and I will instantly start to cry.

Sometimes it's tearing up.

Other times it's a full-on sob that will come forth unexpectedly from where I have no idea.

And it takes me by surprise every time.

Now, I admit often when this happens, I will try to figure out, why am I crying?

The truth is there could be a million reasons.

It could be hormones. It could be empty nest reasons. Or it could be something vastly different, like the lack of humanitarian aid in Gaza, or hostages that are still being held by Hamas,

...