You Don’t Always Have to Turn Your Frown Upside Down

You often hear well-meaning moms and preschool teachers trying to convince a crying toddler to “turn their frown upside down.” There’s also the argument that frowning requires more muscles than smiling, or that it will cause wrinkles to form deep in your skin and never, ever go away. But, I’m going to go against convention and say that you don’t always have to turn your frown upside down.

Sometimes, it’s okay to frown, it’s okay to be sad. In fact, if you force yourself to be happy, you’re just suppressing your true feelings, and they’ll only come back bigger and stronger later on. It’s okay to cry, even for guys. You’re not showing a sign of weakness, you’re showing a sign of strength. So, if something’s got you down, go ahead and sit in a dark room by yourself and think about it for a little while, cry as much as you need to, it’s okay. But then, keep going. Get back to your life and keep on living. Don’t forget about the sad things, but don’t let them take over the rest of your life. From the beautifully moving “End of October” by Pat McGee: You’ve got so many reasons to smile.