Today I Will Be Honey by Michel Spruance

My grandmother used to say, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." While I loved the sound of her sweet southern voice saying such things, the older I got the more I thought this was the most annoying saying. Sometimes, I thought, I don't want to be happy. I don't want to have to pretend everything is ok. Why should I have to fake a smile?

But last night I was at the airport - perhaps the best microcosm of US culture one can find - when I had an opportunity to experience what my grandmother was talking about. The airport was quiet, but there was a line to check bags at the Southwest counter. The man behind us pushed his way upon some people who were not finished at their kiosk, and proceeded to sigh loudly at everyone around him for being slow.

Moving to security, it was actually a breeze and the TSA folks were jolly and thoughtful, but watching people rush frantically as they unloaded and reloaded possessions even though there was no one waiting, was quite fascinating.

Next I just began to notice faces. Most people looked so irritated, or at the very least somber. I wonder, do we really, as a culture, feel as crappy as we look? Each face I saw that looked hard, focused or worried reminded me to soften, creating a hint of a smile. It was the perfect opportunity to practice what I so often speak of in class - does my face really reflect how I feel at this moment?

So often I am in my head, in the future or the past, or sometimes even writing fiction. I notice that when I'm not in the present mentally that is when my face takes on this funny screwed up look of intensity - the very look that repels others from me. And yet I have learned that just the hint of a smile on my face changes my actual emotional state from one of seriousness to one of lightness. How funny, that something so simple and inexpensive as softening the turn of my mouth and the brightness in my eyes can make me feel better. Perhaps it is not just about what I attract outwardly, but about the fact that I can change my own emotional state. I'm not faking it; I'm taking responsibility for myself. In a sense, the face I wear positions me in the world

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra says that trivial concerns, seriousness, and quiet desperation are the hallmarks of" everyday mediocre existence and poverty consciousness." I don't want to live a mediocre existence. I want to live a world-class existence.

So today I practice. What do I really want in my life? Friendship. Collaboration. Joy. Abundance. How can I let my face reflect those things? Smile! Today I will be honey.