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?

4 comments

4 Comments

gibson.avery27d ago

Ever just fake a smile the whole time?

wade87127d ago

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.

spencer_coleman26d ago

My buddy got a tension headache from fake smiling all week.

nguyen.lily26d ago

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.