Tattoos, Cigarettes, and Smiles

Earlier this week, Kiersten and I left Cape Cod for a couple of days, took the train from Providence down to Manhattan, and went to see the live taping of America's Got Talent.  I'm so glad she convinced me to bid on the tickets at the Heart Ball back in February. 

We spent the night in NYC.  When we woke, we had to walk about 10 blocks that morning from the hotel to the train station.  We were on vacation.  Most people that morning were not.  They work in the City, and they take the trains to the City and then quickly scurry to their offices -- or so it seems. 

On this particular morning, we noticed something quite ordinary:  nobody was smiling.  People walking, rushing everywhere, but nobody smiling -- well, with the exception of one person on her phone.  We must have walked past 500 or 1000 people that morning -- maybe even more.  People everywhere; sidewalks full.  And nobody was smiling. 

At some point on the walk, it struck me that I'd seen more tattoos and more people smoking cigarettes early in the morning than people smiling.  It was a funny thought.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

Since that day, I've kept thinking about how nobody was smiling.  I thought about myself -- I often don't smile going into work, rushing like ever to get to my seat to stare at my computer and talk on the phone.  Perhaps I take (we take) all this too seriously?  Glum is the descriptor that comes to mind. 

Glum.

Synonyms:  depressed, dismal, gloomy, morose, sad, blue, bummed out, dejected, dispirited.

Antonyms:  bright, cheerful, encouraged, glad, happy, joyful, light.

Time to change, Tim.  Time to change.