Be cheerful

They were making fun of you.

They did laugh and snicker.

They were texting their friends about you.

They barely tried to hide it, even when you looked at them in the eyes.

The station stairwell was closed so you have to walk further than planned.

There will be a wrong turn and you forget how to get where you’re going.

You’ll realize your mistake and rush to correct it.

You’re sweating now.

You wonder if that pain in your neck is a stroke.

There’s a muscle spasm but you ignore it because getting to work is more important.

You have to push through it because people have expectations on you.

You’re very thirsty.

Phone messages, voicemails, e-mails, no coffee in the pot,

cubicle, papers, typos,

mediocrity,

sameness,

lameness.

You look in the mirror to wipe the sweat off your face and your reflection is unrecognizable.

You don’t know who that is.

You’ve never seen them before.

You’re graying, you’re baggy eyed, and you’re fat.

People want things from you.

People tell you to do it all, now, instantly and all at once.

People tell you to relax, but to do it faster.

People need get off your back.

You’re looking forward to going home, but then home isn’t much better.

It’s boring and lonely and always the same.

It’s empty and hollow but at least it isn’t work.

You’ll look at that bottle of wine.

At least you’re a smart, sensitive, real person. At least you have a home. At least you have a job. At least, at least, at least, at the very, very least. So be cheerful.