When I was about twelve years old, I got involved in local civic theater productions, beginning as one of the Workhouse Boys and Fagan's Gang in Oliver!, singing and dancing my way around the stage with the rest of the cast. This was followed by similar roles in Hello Dolly, Bye Bye Birdie, and a number of other productions over the years.
The resident director, Fred, spent countless hours with large groups of amateurs, of varying talents and inclinations, attempting to meld us into an ensemble that delivered a high quality show. Whilst we were all dancing our little feet and legs off to the musical numbers, he would all too often shout out one line, which has stuck with me for the rest of my life.
"Smile, Dammit!"
You see, when you are trying to remember all the steps of a dance, maintain your spacing with all the other dancers, belt out the lyrics of the song simultaneously, you have a tendency to grimace and frown, which is not exactly the expression the song should convey to the audience.
Fred's imprecations were meant to remind us that no matter how difficult the task, the most important thing was that the people watching our performance believe it was delightful and merry.
So, whenever the task seems too hard, the road too long, or the effort excessive, I have to remind myself, "Smile, Dammit!"
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