No matter...

... how hard you try to be yourself, some people will not like you.
... how nice of a suit you wear, you can't win them over.
... how many times you say "good morning," "hi there," or "how are you," some will not answer out of a self-inflicted distance.
... how different you may seem to be, you are still effected deeply by the judgement of others.
... how much you smile, even if you grin until your face hurts, it will not make you happy or make them accept you.
... how beautiful you know you are, if people take it for granted you will feel used and neglected.
... how open some people seem, they do not see the world as you, therefore you are doomed to be the butt of their jokes, the punch-line in their stories.


No matter what the world throws at me, it cannot take my smile. I, too, have pride, and I'm not afraid to use it.