They Love to See You Smile

A few weeks ago I met a man, Geoffrey, for coffee in Santa Monica. I worked for him during undergrad at DePaul and hadn’t seen him for ten years. He approached my table on the sidewalk and I rose to greet him. We hugged with emotion. And the first thing he said to me was, “You still have that smile.”

During FEX an exasperated Senior Chief said to me, “As long as you keep smiling EA2 I know I can get through this.”

I have had men at work tell me that they look to my smile to get through the day. And when they say that I always wonder why it is my responsibility to make them feel good about themselves. At my worst their comments make me indignant and frustrated at my situation. At my best I smile in resignation and accept my position.

I’ve never understood why my smile gets so much press until today.

There is a Lieutenant, about 5’5” with a face that looks like a caricature, and I don’t know his job in the battalion. We sat next to each other for a few hours in the back of a MTVR during FEX for Rapid Runway Repair and that’s all that I’ve worked with him. But still, every time I see him, he greets me by name and gets a big grin on his face. No matter what I’m doing, or what's eating at me, his smile makes me feel comfortable and calm.

My lesson is learned. I will always smile freely.