My kid's birthday party last weekend was so hard to get through
We had the whole thing at the park with cake and games. I was smiling and taking pictures the whole time. But inside I was just thinking about the hospital bills from my mom's surgery. I kept having to go to the bathroom just to take a deep breath. How do you handle big family events when you're carrying something heavy?
Man, @gibson.avery, you hit on something real. My face actually hurts after a long day of forcing it. It's like being stuck in a boring meeting where you have to nod, or dealing with a rude customer and you just keep that polite grin plastered on. You go home and your jaw is tight from all the pretending. It's exhausting.
Used to think it was just part of the job, you know? But after a year of the fake customer service smile, my cheeks would ache by lunch. @gibson.avery, your post made me realize that constant pretending actually drains your energy for real stuff later. Now I save the big smiles for things that actually matter.