Big Toothy Grin

What follows are the results of my Operation Smile experiment (see yesterday’s blog for details):

7:00AM:  Operation Smile is underway.  I regret it already.  I have a stomachache and my son tells me he just threw up.  It just feels wrong to be smiling.  I’m in a bad mood and not into this “fun little exercise”.  I slap on a happy grin as my son is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind (a look I am quite familiar with).  The morning news is on reporting a bank robbery, a murder and bad weather.  Big Toothy Grin……ugh.

7:45AM:  I meet my girlfriend for a cup of coffee and tell her about Operation Smile.  She immediately joins the experiment.  We sipped and smiled while engaging in some moaning and groaning.  It was kind of funny.  Complaining while smiling feels a lot different.  The smile almost cancels out the complaint.  I think we looked suspicious with this silly behavior, but I did seem to notice so many more people smiling.  Were they part of the experiment or just responding to our grins?  By the way, though the smiling started out as a fake physical gesture, it was only a matter of seconds before it was genuine. It became real quite quickly.

11:15AM: I am in Barnes and Noble working on my computer when I realize I am frowning.  So I put a smile on my face.  I think people are trying to read what I am writing so they can figure out what I am smiling about.  I feel very conspicuous (maybe it’s the new haircut…..).  People pass and I smile.  Most smile back.  One or two look around to see what they are missing.

1:00PM: I am in the nurse’s office at my son’s school to pick him up. Yes, I made him go to school even though he threw up.  I thought he was faking  it.  Sorry.  So much for the Supermom cape… The nurse is telling me about his other symptoms and I am nodding and smiling.  I am sure she thinks I am an insensitive (but happy) clod.

3:00PM:  Smiling in the absence of other human beings makes me feel ridiculous.  It does, however, make me start to laugh.  This can’t be bad, right?

4:45PM:  I am upset with my son and deliver a reprimand with a smile.  He doesn’t argue and suddenly I’m not mad anymore.  Hmm….that was too easy.

7:00PM:  I place my order with a waitress and I remember to smile.  She tells me I have pretty eyes and that the wine is on the house.   With that I declare Operation Smile a complete success (!) and vow to do my best to smile more often.