There's an old expression, "never let 'em see you sweat."
But "never let 'em see you "serious?"
I want to tell you about a friend of mine who heartily subscribes to that last one.
Scott's his name, and he calls me last night, after hearing about my uncle Anthony passing away.
He knew I was a little down, but darn if this guy didn't have me laughing. And pretty soon, guffawing.
You see, that's Scott. I'm not saying he's a practical joker, but as long as I've known him, he was always joking.
And nothing and no one could bring him down.
Scott acted almost scot-free.
Always a smile on his face, even though others sure tried to wipe that smile off his face.
Including one ogre of a boss he had, who delighted in making workers' lives miserable.
So the boss would up the ante, forever trying to push his buttons. He'd make fun of his weight, his clothes, or at even nearly 40, Scott was still single. He's since married and wouldn't you know, his wife's a cutup and so is his kid! But I digress.
Anyway one Friday afternoon, the boss yells at Scott , so that all can hear, "hey, Scott, another weekend stuck alone on the couch watching HBO, hah?"
To which, Scott, without missing a beat, shoots back, "no, ESPN, but I'm happy to try your couch. I'll even bring the popcorn!"
The staff erupted the boss just shook his head recognizing he had failed yet again, to shake Scott's good mood.
Or derail what's turned about to be a good career.
Yep, Scott's on Wall Street maybe because he always was good with numbers, or maybe because he always was good at making sure no one had his number. And no one but no one was going to bring him down.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because of something else Scott said.
"Neil, if you think about it, no matter how long we live, life always seems seriously short."
But that doesn't mean we have to be.
Which I think was Scott's way of saying, don't be so serious.
Laugh and go long.
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