10.6.12

List #151: Put a Smile On It

I spent the afternoon with my parents today. Just me and them and some Chinese food. A little bit of time spent outdoors, a little bit of time spent in the kitchen, and some spent in front of the television introducing my Mom to Downton Abbey. It was a great, quiet, lazy afternoon.

But when we took a little walk to get some Sunday night ice cream, my mom made a comment. "Smile," she said. "You need to smile more. Life will get better."

And then suddenly I felt badly for not smiling. There isn't really a reason for me not to:  work is going well, I'm going to be on television tomorrow, I have pretty dresses, I'm going on vacation in a few weeks. But I just didn't feel like smiling today.  Life isn't bad, not in the least. But there is a lot of not-this-again-is-this-as-good-as-it-gets floating around.

I think I smile a lot. I'm a sunshine friend who always looks on the brightside. Sometimes, admittedly, annoyingly so.

But on the weekend? My smile can quickly fade. I rest. I let my emotions run their course. I cuddle on my couch.

My Mom is probably right. Life will probably get better. It's not a bad time, there have been worse times. But it's still a stressful time.

But in the meantime, I'm gonna try to slap on a smile tomorrow.

What about you, readers, how aware of your smiles are you?

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