I Like Your Smile

I know a lovely lady that always finds help when she winds up in unfortunate situations. She used to say she had friends she didn't even know. Before social media, that phrase was special. Now it's the norm and being liked has a whole new meaning.

In Italy to find out what's up with their friends (a.k.a. send messages) most people use WhatsApp, unaware of the play on words. In addition to messaging you can post photos to which friends can 'say' they like by clicking on the green floating heart icon. Sometimes I post photos and sometimes I get green hearts. I'm embarrassed to admit that they really do tickle me pink (and green, for my preppy readers). I thrive on external recognition and I think most people who say they don't are lying.

My other link to being liked is my sports watch; nothing's better than a compliment from Mr. Garmin. When he tells me my VO2 max is superior, I feel capable of anything. His other comments include Poor, Fair, Good and Excellent but I passed to Superior early on in our relationship. I'm somewhat certain there's an error because I spend a lot more time eating pizza and french fries than running. It seems impossible that my heart, lungs and muscles efficiently store and use oxygen (that's what V02 max means) at a superior level. Maybe I've entered my data incorrectly and he thinks I'm 90. In any case at the end of a run when I find myself at the far end of Garmin's rainbow graphic, my heart skips a beat.

I'm sure some would beg to differ, but I consider myself somewhat stable. If flying over the rainbow and floating green hearts have a positive effect on me (or negative, if they don't show up from the right people) I wonder how they effect kids that are overweight, underloved and dumb as well as their counterparts, the pretty, popular and smart. I think it only makes the rich feel richer and the poor feel poorer.

The fact that these icons can momentarily mess with the mood of an aware adult, makes me feel very sorry for the teenagers (and kids) hiding in their rooms waiting to be liked. There's no need for an unfortunate situation to put you in contact with the friends you don't even know. Just go outside, lift your head and smile. It's a lot more effective than a smiley face.