A Smile in a Sea of Frowning Faces

“Lily…do you ever NOT smile?” These were the words of my former co-worker, Pearl. She was a dignified southern, African-American grandmother that worked with me at my old call center.

“I’m sorry Pearl, I don’t follow.”

“I’ve been working here two years now and I’ve never seen you not smiling.”

“Well, I try to not let things bother me. Why? Is that a bad thing?”

“No. Too many frowning faces nowadays.”

It’s been at least 5 years since Pearl and I had that conversation, but I always remember it. And every time I think about it, I reflect. I know I can be mean and sarcastic when I joke around, but I don’t believe I’ve ever intentionally been cruel. Whenever faced with a tense or negative situation, I usually try and find a positive spin to put on it. And even with the world bearing down on my shoulders…I always feel like I could be doing more for people.

No doubt about it. I am a “Positive Polly.” Is that a bad thing?

I know that nothing today works without an angle. Someone is always trying to work the spin. While I guard myself from obvious threats, I still believe that the people I care about will always do the right thing. But is it naïve of me to still believe that a positive attitude and a smile will get me through life as it stands?

The world is definitely a rough place. Divorce, poverty, hunger, natural resource shortages, hurricanes, war, death, abuse, and other societal issues cloud the skies with doom. It seems that for every one act of kindness, there are four acts of madness ready to stamp out its light. Positive attitudes are definitely not de rigueur. Cynicism is what’s hot and fresh these days.

We’ll take the most obvious example of the Harbingers of Doom: the media. I’ll even take it a step further and use a simple, everyday example that most people can relate to. As you know, I like to pick up a copy of Cosmo or Glamour so I have something fun and easy to read. In the last four months, I’ve been informed of three different medical conditions that I’ve been told I NEED to ask my doctor about. Mixed in amongst the colorful pages of spring fashion are stories on how to get your boyfriend to marry you (Because he probably can’t do it on his own?) or how the latest fad diet – which was all the rage two months ago – is going to kill you (Even a toddler knows eating only carrots and water isn’t good for you.).

I’m not saying that there isn’t anything to be afraid of…I’m saying we’re letting ourselves sink further and further into a societal funk. Let’s think about this. When was the last time you struck up a conversation with a perfect stranger? How often do you walk with your head up and looking at the people around you? Do you feel weird when someone you only see walking down the halls at work says hello to you?

Thanks to technology, the world is seemingly getting smaller. But people are becoming more isolated. Most of us would rather wallow in the problems of the world than actually finding something redeeming and good about it. Or even worse, there are a few who just say “F-it all,” and give up any hope of seeing daylight.

But I don’t think it has to be that way. Man was created (or evolved or whatever the heck you believe in) with free will. We have choices to be positive or negative influences. It would be silly to believe that we can change the entire world by ourselves. So we each have to do it in our own little way and hope that with the help of enough people, we can make a difference.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf States, I was amazed at the two very distinct reactions to it. There were people I know who went Chicken Little on me. They truly believed that the sky was falling and the world was ending. Any effort to rebuild historic and vital places like New Orleans were a waste of time. Someone even told me, “If that were me, I wouldn’t even bother. It’ll just flood again.”

Then there were the people who understood that it was a tragedy, but worked through the devastation by helping out in anyway they could. We saw that the local’s tough human instinct was to rebuild and persevere. My co-workers and I donated blood. My two youngest siblings asked my parents if they could give money from their savings accounts. Many of my online friends spoke of making care packages, helping set up websites, or even collecting food for the victims. There was even one brave soul who actually went imbedded with the Red Cross for three weeks in the middle of the hurricane’s ground zero. We chose to be positive…because that’s what we need to help society along.

So I face the choice everyday. Am I going to be a Negative Nelly or Positive Polly? And my choice is relatively simple. I can’t change all the world’s problems at once, but I can start in my own little corner.

*turns up corners of mouth into a smile* There. I feel better already.