The new clerk smirked as he said, “Good luck.” He actually smirked.
It has been a long time since I have seen a full-out smirk. There is no hiding a smirk. The glee in the eyes, the twisted smile, the tilt of the head, all of it communicating, “My words say one thing, but what I want you to know is: You are so wrong. You are an idiot. You are an object of derision.
I don’t blame the guy for smirking; all these weeks of “good luck” have only produced $12.00. Yep, I now have four more dollars in my Winnings Envelop. Weeks and weeks of shelling out my $3.00 and I have $12.00 to show for it. I deserve that smirk, no doubt about it.
Smirking has a place in human interaction. Politicians need to be smirked at. Preachers sometimes really need to see a good smirk. Preacher-politicians should be lambasted with a well-placed smirk every time they open their mouths. And to borrow a phrase I read this week, “pontificating Guardians of Art” should never get through the day without being smirked.
Of course, it can be overdone. It is unkind to smirk at someone who is innocent or unlearned, someone who truly doesn’t understand their errors. But puffed-up frogs? Those who believe their mere opinions count as global Truth? Those who, as my mother once said, would rather been heard as a fool than not hear at all? They need a good smirking.
A smirk can speak as loud as words. Sometimes even louder than words. You don’t have to get into an argument. You don’t have to prove your point. You don’t have to convince or confront. Just smirk, and it is all communicated loud and clear.
Smirks are quick, clean and short – just like this week’s blog.