The smile we choose

Why are you smiling, Mr. Garcia? Why are you always so happy? The truth is simple, I don’t bring happiness... I bring a smile, you all bring the joy. I enjoy the question by the way, especially since it's the students from Andrews Osborne Academy asking.

I'm fortunate to be surrounded by great family, great friends, great mentors, and great colleagues. All things that help influence my life. One person in particular, Mr. John Farr, shaped this for me in a way I didn’t fully understand at the time. The irony is that he wasn’t known for smiling... but his message stayed with me.

A long, long time ago.. In assembly at South Kent School, he read "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" and made it his own by adding stories from his own life and experience. One word stood out to me then and still does now:

Smile.

Not because everything is perfect.
Not because life is easy.
But because it is one thing we can control.

A smile changes the tone of a room. It can invite connection. It can bring others' joy forward.

I’ve learned that when I choose to smile, others often join in... not because they have to, but because they want to. And we all know what happens when we choose the opposite.

So when people ask why I’m smiling, the answer is easy. I learned it in Kindergarten