‘Just Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella’

That title “Just Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella” reaches back into the 1940s when the song was recorded by a popular crooner at the time, Bing Crosby; it was published, I believe, in 1927. I recall the song only because it was part of my mother’s repertoire as she moved about the apartment.

The lyrics continue as follows: “On a rainy, rainy day/ And if your sweetie cries just tell her/ That a smile will always pay.” So why is your columnist sharing these words of yesteryear with his readers? We Capers are not smiling as we traverse the Avenue or the street or the beach or the park or the supermarket. We appear to be so angry so often on a daily basis. There is even a frown when we get our coffee at our favorite coffee shop. I miss our smiling at one another. There is no apparent reason to be angry all the time, especially among people we neither know nor love. Why are we so unhappy, or at least appear to be, on a very regular basis?

In conferring with a few psychologists, I learned that the pandemic was the culprit, a fact which has been compounded by gasoline prices and the inflationary conditions in general. We were also quite perturbed when the schools were closed and the students had to learn in little square electronic boxes, and many of us were unable to go to work. Actually, very few of us were able to go anywhere, and many of us still feel we cannot. Are these legitimate reasons for us to walk around town angry, or at least appearing to be angry by not wearing a smile? Our emotions are all out there for all to observe, and they are real, and they might be dangerous.

I am not saying that we should cover up our feelings of anger by smiling when we are unable to, or just do not feel like it, but perhaps we can try to be less angry, and thus frown less and smile more, especially at people who bear no responsibility whatsoever for the woe we have opted to display to the world. The song goes on to say, “Whenever skies are grey/ Don’t worry or fret/ A smile will bring the sunshine/ And you’ll never get wet.” I realize that some readers are now recalling the tune in their heads as it was sung by the Justin Bieber of the 1940s and ‘50s. We thank Messrs. Fein, Kahal and Wheeler (yes, it sounds like a law firm) for the lyrics, and perhaps we can now even make an attempt to display a more friendly demeanor when in public. Truly, who wants to get wet on a rainy day? Our smile is important to others, especially to those who are really having difficulties with the trials and tribulations of daily living.

Many of us seem to be able to easily smile at young children, usually from birth to age 5, but to express joy upon the sight of a fellow adult is another matter altogether. I know, children are cute, and our contemporaries are usually old and grouchy, thus not deserving of a smile or an expression of positive warmth. They are not smiling, so why should we? Remember, someone must go first! Interestingly enough, we remove that frown and expression of disapproval at a social gathering where we believe the participants share something in common with us. We feel comfortable in that we imagine all of us there think alike, and thus we can take that chance and lead with a smile. We also feel somewhat obligated to at least appear pleasant for the period of attendance time at the function. So, I ask you, why not display a similar countenance among unknown humans? We literally run into these strangers on a daily basis, but feel hard-pressed to smile without a prompt or hesitation.

There is no doubt that personal circumstances may make it difficult to walk around town in constant glee, but let us keep in mind that our fellow Capers are probably not the cause of our ills, and do not deserve the negative facial expression which we tend to display more often than not. However, for those readers who share my penchant for positive, pleasant postures toward others, I say “Hurrah!” and thanks for smiling.