JUST KEEP SMILING

A good friend called me over the weekend with genuine concern in his voice.

And being you don’t know my friend, I’ll tell you, he rarely shows this vulnerable side.

He asked, “There’s so much anger all around us, what can we do? What can you and I do to change this, to help?”

With such a serious question, I grabbed a cocktail and a smoke, my thinking mechanisms, (Don’t smoke, kids!) and headed outside to exchange ideas with my friend.

I started by stating the obvious. I’m not an advocate. I’m not one to go march and protest (large crowds freak me out) or wave a sign to show everyone my feelings. I’m never going to form a group with relatable interests or sign a petition. It’s just not my gig.

But what I do, do (we laughed at do-do cause it’s funny) is smile, which in this day and age is silly because no one can see the smile behind the mask. So, what else is there? I talk to whomever is standing next to me in a grocery store line. I wave to fellow walkers, while cruising around the neighborhood with the dogs. Just the other day, the old guy neighbor out enjoying a walk, decided my driveway was a good spot for him to stop and tell me his life story about his five daughters and medical issues. If only I knew his name.

You see, I care about life. Just two weeks ago, I accidentally weed-whipped a baby bunny hiding in the edge of the grass. My eyes and nose must have looked like the Blair Witch Project scene with snot and tears dripping from my face. Through booger tears, I told her she’d come back into this world as a strong warrior, a queen of the prairie, then she gulped her last breaths still cupped in my hands. Just writing this down brings mega tears to my eyes. I took a life. I killed a living creature and it hurts my heart.

I try my best to do the right thing. Now, listen, I understand that sometimes I can sound like an asshole. I know this because friends often say to me, “Dude, you’re an ass,” a few too many times. I have opinions and sometimes my vocalization lacks definition, but I try to listen to different perspectives, even if we agree to disagree.

A different point of view might go something like this…If someone is driving erratic, weaving in and out of traffic, and cutting off people, rather than let that jerk ruin your day, try to think of why they are acting in that manner. Maybe the guy has to get to the hospital because his spouse is on the ventilator and has one last opportunity to say goodbye through the window. Maybe he’s a small business owner and needs to catch a flight for his one vacation every third year. Or maybe the crazy driver has to poop. You don’t know!My friend probably spent the rest of the weekend either contemplating my in-depth thoughts, or we drank too many cocktails during that long conversation and completely forgot about our words. You don’t know!

Not everyone is a public, in-your-face, world changer. Sometimes, we can change the world, our small world, by simply being kind to the people in our moment. By not sharing political or angry social media that perpetuates violence and hatred, maybe instead, we scroll a bit farther to find and share feel good stories or silly memes. It’s all about choices.

Choose happy thoughts to tell the grandkids about later.

Choose to do the right thing.

Choose to smile.

Because like my mother used to say, “You keep making that face and it’ll stay that way.” Your face looks prettier when it’s not all scrunched up and mad; so please, Keep Smiling!