Tired of smiling, but smiling on

As I sat in the gymnasium at our local school, I selfishly felt happiness at the sound of the final buzzer. Withstanding three middle school basketball games in one night was a feat only the strong could empathize with. Battling simultaneous emotions of joy at seeing the little ones striving to take up the sport I love coupled with the pain of experiencing the never-ending brawls for the ball, seen often when younger students play, made for an exhausting evening. Although none of the parents in attendance would dare admit that the sound of the final buzzer brought about relief, the tired smiles were telling.

This year, rather than taking part in basketball my daughter decided that she was going to learn the art of cheerleading. With each cheer, clap, and jump, my smile grew greater. Watching my child interact with her friends and fellow students gave me great pride. I’m sure the same pride the moms and dads of the basketball players felt. This pride coupled with the humor of witnessing my younger child sit, upside down, on the bleachers, wishing only that this night would end, and she could get back to playing games at home with her newly acquired chickens, ended up making for a quite enjoyable evening.

Midway through the second game my youngest had had enough and asked if she could go into the foyer and play. Agreeing, I watched as she found some new friends from the visiting school and began resurrecting her wasted night through play. As the final buzzer sounded, I watched as the cheerleaders cleared their belongings and my eldest child returned to my side. Complaining that her face hurt, I inquired why? She then explained that the difficult part of cheerleading is the fact that you have to have a constant smile on your face to encourage others to cheer for the team.

The smile, she explained, was just plain tiring and made her face hurt. Through the inward chuckles I thought about how this beautiful child of mine had been constantly reminded as a child that smiles were much more welcoming than the permanent frown she routinely had. As we traveled homeward, I thought about how tiring it is at times to keep a welcoming face. As we travel this journey called life we routinely tire from putting on a smile and trying our best to remain positive. Tiring, yet essential if we hope to affect change. So often the battle between doing the right thing and being approachable is overshadowed by our own feelings of comfort. Take the time to smile my friends, even when it hurts.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from 9 to 29.