Before I ever redid my author page and made this blog, I decided I wanted to be known for my smile. It's harder to smile at strangers when I have down days or a rough time. With practice, I've gotten better.
I've driven the same car since I was 18: a 2-door Jeep Wrangler Sport. It has been an amazing vehicle all these years, apart from a few quirky repairs. It's loud on the highway, and it can barely fit two people and luggage for a road trip. I still drove it halfway across the country once. The spare tire cover always advertised the dealership where I bought it brand new. I meant to change it out, but I put it off for years.
Until the day I remembered a tire cover is pretty much the same material as a canvas.
I pulled off the cover and sprayed it with black primer until the dealership logo vanished. Then, I brought it inside and slapped in on my easel. There I sat, staring at a blank "canvas" that reeked of spray fumes, with a multitude of acrylic paints in front of me. If I was going to paint something on it, I wanted it to be something that both represented me and sent a positive message to those stuck in the same traffic I was. It had to have contrast—both in color and in mood.
Pink. Uplifting. Hawaii. Flowers. Smile.
Of course, I didn't just wake up one day and decide, "I'm gonna make people want to smile." What inspired this message was a show I watched when I was in college. In it, the main character, a young girl, had a disease that would kill her within a year unless she has a surgery that could also kill her or leave her voice damaged for life. Instead of getting depressed, she worked that much harder to achieve her dream: becoming a singer. One of the songs she sang was about how she wouldn't forget to smile.
Now, the show itself wasn't amazing. It was cheesy and depressing in places, but that message stuck with me. When life beats us up, we can still reach within us and find enough joy to spread to others. That's a worthy legacy, far surpassing the accumulation of wealth, fame, or followers. At least for me.
Believe me, I wish this inspiration came from a grandparent or someone special instead of a silly show, but we can't choose what sticks with us. Either way, the message is still the same:
I want to keep on smilin'!
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