Facing the Frowning Hordes

If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably know that I have spent the last couple of days in The Big Apple – NYC. Yes, it is quite a jarring contrast to my peaceful weekend at home watching General Conference, but I still love this place.

One of the things I have noticed (fixated on) as I walk through the teeming masses, is how unhappy most people look. I even began to actively watch for people who were smiling. Sure, there were occasional duos that were talking and laughing with one another, or someone laughing into a phone, but the average person, walking down the street, with their eyes averted, or staring at a smartphone, looked miserable.

Sure, there were occasional exceptions. Some smiling people looked like they might be a few tater tots short of a casserole, but there were only a small percentage who looked quite normal, and quite…happy.

Now, before you go off on NYC for being grumpy, I would challenge you to make the same observations at Walmart, or your place of employment, or even your ward. My guess is that it would no be that different,

I don’t know why, but it seems that our normal, resting expression is not a smile, but rather a frown – or no expression at all. It would also seem that our faces often show sad or angry, even if we aren’t feeling that way.

Perhaps showing happiness is important enough that it needs to be intentional – an effort even. One more of those “Natural Man” tendencies that we are told to “put off.” Is an effort required to be “honest” in our expressions?

Of course I recognize the hypocrisy of calling out the frowners of the world – I don’t walk around with a smile on my face all the time. As I get older, and jowlier, I look more and more like I am ensconced in a permanent frown – no mater how I feel inside.

So yesterday I decided to change things up. I decided to smile all day. At everyone. I smiled at grumpy cashiers, and said “Thank You.” I nodded and smiled at cops and security guards. I made eye contact and small talk with complete strangers. I smiled and said “Excuse me,” whenever I bumped into people. I walked through the streets of New York with a smile on my face – like a crazy man.

Some people responded with a smile and courtesy, some responded with a grunt, or no acknowledgement whatsoever. It didn’t matter. I was doing this for me as much as for the people I came in contact with. It was interesting to see that some people were smiling a lot – but those were people who had a financial interest in smiling, such waiters and sales clerks. Apparently, if the motivation is right…

There were lots of times I would forget, and would catch myself growing or grimacing, but I would try and turn it around.

By the end of the day I was beat. My cheeks hurt, and the muscles behind my ears and in the back of my neck hurt, and I had a tension headache. From smiling. How lame is it that smiling is so foreign to me that  I was physically worn out from attempting it for a day?

Here’s the part that bugs me: I am happy. I go through life in a good mood most of the time. I am here on an amazing vacation, yet you would never know it by looking at my face. It is probably similar at home, and in my day-to-day life as well.

“Men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25)

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are privileged to be a joyful people. We are entitled to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. (Gal. 5:22)

We should be ecstatic about what we know, what we are blessed with and our hopes for eternity. Peter said, “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of thehope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15)

Nobody is going to ask about my hope, or my joy if they can’t tell that is how I feel.

If you’re happy and you know it, don’t clap your hands – tell your face.