Dear Abby: I`m not writing for advice; I need a favor. A couple of years ago, someone wrote to you complaining because she resented being told by total strangers to ”smile.” It was obviously written by a person like me who has a naturally sad face.
I was born with this face, and although it may look sad, it does not reflect my mood. I can be happy as a lark, yet someone will say, ”Hey- cheer up. Smile. You look so sad!” This drives me up the wall!
When that article appeared in your column, I cut it out and handed it to the first person who told me to smile. She happened to be a good friend of mine. When she read it, she thought it was so great, she asked if she could keep it to put in her scrapbook, so I let her have it. How I wish I had made some copies of it before I gave it away because I am still being ordered to smile.
I hope you can find it. I`d love to see it run again. I`m sure there are other people this applies to.
H.K. in Brookfield, Wis.
Dear H.K.: That ”smile” letter wasn`t hard to find. Many readers wrote to say they identified with it. Here it is:
Dear Abby: I wish people would stop telling me to smile! I can be walking down the street, humming a song to myself, perfectly content with the world, when someone will say, ”Why don`t you smile?”
It makes me feel awful! I think to myself, ”Gee, do I look that bad?”
There must be a lot of other people out there who have had this happen to them. Maybe we just have sad-looking faces, but it sure doesn`t make us feel any better. (It`s really an insult.)
Abby, you could do all of us a big favor if you`d ask your readers to say, ”Have a nice day,” or make some other pleasant comment. Anything, even just ”Hello,” would be better than saying, ”Smile.”
I`d love to see this in your column. Then maybe people would think twice before they ask someone to smile.
Insulted
Dear Insulted: Don`t let it get you down. These are the same people who say, ”Gee, you look tired.” (Also no compliment.) It may be comforting to know that most serious thinkers scowl and frown unconsciously when they are deeply immersed in thought. And while a smile may be ”prettier,” folks who go around smiling all the time for no good reason at all are often followed by a non-smiling man with a butterfly net. Have a nice day.
Dear Abby: I was so amused when some of your readers mentioned how little it cost for them to be delivered into this world.
I think I may hold the record. I was born around 4 a.m. on Oct. 22, 1921, in Hartford City, Ind. The delivery was at home. When my father asked the doctor, ”How much do I owe you?” the doctor replied, ”I drove over here on a flat; if you`ll change my tire, we`ll call it even.”
Margaret Ballenger-Roadamle, La Fontaine, Ind.
Dear Margaret: Congratulations. I doubt if anyone can top that.
