Some People Can't Stand Me...

...Because I almost always smile.
(Unless I'm working on something - then it's all about business. But even then, being in the zone is fun.)
I sat and spoke to one of my neighbors at a party recently and one thing she said kind of stood out to me.
The lady said that a lot of people don't like me because I always seem to be nice to everyone and that I always smile (even when dealing with people I don't know.)
She said that being nice to people made some feel as though I thought I was better than them.

I was once told this about those in prison.
Someone said that smiles were resented in hostile environments.
I've experienced this in the hood as well.
Many from the hood view as smile as taunting.
As trying to make everyone else feel even worse because one should know that they feel bad.

The thing is - even when things suck (which is more often than not here in a small town in the South) I always try to find the benefit of the experience.
People think I'm crazy because I'll say something like, "This ish sucks!", with a smile and a chuckle while in the midst of a struggle.
Believe me... things are not always rosy, people don't always like me and I don't always have all of the answers - but why should I choose to suffer just because something is difficult?