Just Smile

On any given day, it can be a choice. Misery or happiness? That’s assuming I'm functioning pretty well, and don’t need Dr. Quackinbush to come to the rescue. I’m not obsessing over a suspicious mole or lump, there’s food in the fridge (too much food), and the mortgage, like always, will… be… paid. So why is it so easy to slip through the fissure into misery…feeling like I may never return? It might be something as simple as the rain, constant rain and the deprivation of sunlight, or the lack of sleep, my body’s need for exercise, or that God awful dream imbedded in the depths of REM. Or, it could be that same exact time of year, like so many years ago─ a time of deep loss that returns mysteriously─ in the scent of a flower, the face of a stranger, the lyrics of a song. Snap out of it, I say. And usually I can. This woman I met gave me a tool that really works: First thing in the morning, if I feel myself sliding down that slippery pole, I smile the widest smile I can. Like a child posing for a picture with Mom and Dad. Hold for ten seconds. Say a cheery good morning out loud. Breathe.