You'll know that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.

So, when I started this gig 2 years ago there was a little bit of advice floating around that you shouldn't smile until Thanksgiving. The first year I laughed it off. The students ate me for lunch and I never really got control. The second year I made it through the first day. I spent the rest of the year trying to regain control. It only kind of worked.



This year I'm bound and determined not to crack. So far, so good, except that I'm so good at it that when the evenings or weekends come it's hard to believe that it's okay to smile again. Every time I smile I feel like my face might crack because it's been so long since I did it. And when someone says something funny and my reaction is to laugh I catch myself to make sure I'm in an appropriate laughing situation. It's really messing with my head. I'll tell you, I've never enjoyed a smile like I do now. I generally smile all weekend long.