My Fake Smile

Look closely at the picture. That's me. Me, with my fake smile on. The lips pull backward, upward into a grimace that's easily mistaken for a genuine expression. But it's not. See the eyes? There's a disconnect between the expression in them and the attempted smile below.

A smile always starts in the eyes, you know.

Studies can't be done, but I'd guess the average person sees 2 to 3 fake smiles per day. Or uses them himself (or herself). People in the service industry probably see and use a lot more of them than others, but I shouldn't digress. Fake smiles wouldn't be so common if they weren't necessary.

And of course, they're necessary. We're only human, but society would like us to behave pleasantly toward strangers, not to be a burden on every living creature who crosses our path, no matter what worries us. No matter what heavy thoughts and considerations we all drag around inside our heads. When we interact with strangers, we must S~M~I~L~E.

I don't have a problem with that. I do admit, I'm not the most smiley person God ever flung down to Earth. I'm one of those people who always accidentally looks unhappy unless he's smiling, so I actually have to try harder to smile. That means, of course, that my fake smile is easier to spot than others. I live with it.

Anyway, there it is. I do have a real smile that I break out and show people now and then -- at least, some people say they've seen it before. But you know how folks can exaggerate. Maybe I smiled. Or maybe it was only a smirk, or a grin or a sardonic twist at the corner of my mouth. Who knows?

Anyway, if I ever catch my own real smile on camera, I might show it to you.

Maybe.

But today, I'm sorry. You'll have to settle for the fake one.