How Dare You!

This Daily Post Writing Prompt (from October 24, 2012) taps into our insecurities.

No one walks away from this type of question confident!

What’s the one thing you hope other people never say about you?

I’m aware of my insecurities towards others and their perception of me, but there are two things that would absolutely upset me if I ever knew someone said it about me.  One of those things I’m aware has been said about me in the past (not sure if it has happened recently), and the other I’ve never heard, but never want to hear.

“You smile too much!”

I’ve been told that I smile too much (that’s a thing).  A customer at my video store job actually called to complain because they were upset and said that my smile was “sinister” when I was giving her information she didn’t want to hear.

Them’s the breaks when you have late fees (remember those?!).  Believe me, my intent was never malicious (certainly not “sinister”), and I would never have gone out of my way to upset someone, and certainly not by smiling.

Honorable mention: Being told my smile is phony.  Believe me, there are days where I’d rather not have to smile (I’ve had many of those days), but sometimes, you just have to grin and bear it.  And when all else fails, keep it plastered until you get to the bathroom.  Feel free to cry there.

(I have.)

“You’re a terrible writer!”

My seventh grade Accelerated English teacher was a toughie, no nonsense fussbudget, and a former nun who not only told my mom and dad a parent/teacher conference that I (a solid “B” student in her class) didn’t belong in the accelerated class, she also decided my writing skills were not up to par.  First of all, her class wasn’t writing intensive, we worked from the English book on grammar skills.  We hardly ever did writing assignments, but yet, it was alleged that I couldn’t write.

I took her teaching style and general attitude toward me with a grain of salt, because obviously it has never stopped me from writing.  In fact, it got me more focused on writing nothing less than my best.  My experiences writing papers, stories, and essays in high school and college were shaped around the negative comments by that teacher.

I haven’t heard anything similar to what she said since then, but if I did heard this said, my ego would be bruised.  However, unlike the things I usually let get to me, this would not.  I’ve had enough people tell me they like what they read.  However, there are the Seventh Grade Accelerated English teacher types of the world always waiting to argue, disagree, and hate on something one has written.  Since I have much confidence in my writing, I would just figure out what I can improve upon.