That moment I realized my 'fine' was a different kind of fine than everyone else's

Last week at my sister's birthday dinner in Cleveland, my brother in law asked how I was doing and I said 'fine' with that big smile I always put on. My sister pulled me aside later and said my eyes looked nothing like my mouth. That got me thinking about how for the last 6 months at my warehouse job, I've been telling people I'm okay when really I'm drowning in stress from my manager riding me about every pallet I wrap. The smile I give customers is the same one I give my family now, and I honestly don't know when they became the same. I started wondering if other people have that disconnect too, where your face says one thing but your chest feels completely different. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on their fake happy face?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_coleman26d ago

That disconnect is real, and honestly it gets worse the longer you let it slide. Maybe it's just me but after driving alone for days at a time, I got so used to controlling my face for weigh stations and customers that the mask just kind of stuck. The scary part is when you forget which version is the real you. Your sister did you a solid by calling it out, even if it stung at the time. Most people never get that honest nudge and just keep wearing the mask until it feels like their actual skin.

sean_cooper5826d ago

Wait, your sister actually saw through your fake smile just by looking at your eyes?

mark_carr726d ago

Man, it's WILD how sharp sisters can be with that stuff. My sister called me out once when I was trying to act fine after a rough breakup, just by staring at me for five seconds and saying my eyes looked "dead." Honestly, it was annoying at first but it actually helped because I stopped pretending and just talked to her about it.