[gordner]

Your first paragraph made me tear up, dammit. As a few have described here, I too suffer from late onset emotional tendencies. 2020 and the beginning of 2021 saw us say goodbye to my dog jack, a friend of 14 years. Then my mother in law Heather, who I have known all my life, she was auntie Heather right up until the day I married her daughter, when that moniker got a little weird obviously. Then just two months ago, my second dog, lily, passed and damn near broke me. Somewhere through all that, I became the guy that cries unexpectedly for the stupidest reasons, dumb internet stories or TV shows, and about so many things through the house that evoke memories of happiness coupled with loss.
I've never been particularly emotional, although animals have always touched me, but none the less the change is not unwelcome. Weird though, first time in my life I think that I have been unpredictable to myself.