Painted on smiles...

I have this friend - that for the longest time, whenever I saw a picture of her she had this painted on smile. Even in person... her smile always seamed... forced. She had this vision of what would make her happy. To get married... find a guy that loved her and that she loved... start a family.

When she got what she wanted - she still had this painted on smile.

I keep tabs on her every now and then. Just to touch bases - see how she's doing. And know what? An odd thing happened.

One day, her smile looked natural. It looked free. It looked at peace.

She found that she could be content with her life, just being her. Dancing around with the freedom of a little girl without a care in the world.

I've seen her recently. Oddly, I don't remember if she was smiling or not. She's at a place where we all get where life gets in the way. She has bigger things to think about now.

But I wonder... how is she smiling today?