Typical Day
Good morning, good morning, we've talked the whole night through; good morning, good morning, to you...
As Gene Kelley and Debbie Reynolds greet the day at 4:30AM, Meriwether Smith stretches, yawns, and joins them in the greeting. As he throws open the blinds, the dark sky threatens another bright and shining day on the horizon.
Meriwether, or "Mr. Smith" to everyone he meets on school grounds, takes some time for his morning yoga and deep, deep meditation (we're talking oil-well-deep). He throws on a white track suit and well-worn sneakers and heads out the door. As Mr. Smith rounds lap three around his block at 5:15AM, the sun begins its fiery ascent into the great blue sky.
Today is going to be a great day.
By 6:05AM, Mr. Smith is at his desk with a bagel and coffee. He's a little late today because Patty at the coffee shop wanted some advice on her alcoholic brother-in-law, and Mr. Smith never turns down helping those with a problem. Especially those who brew wicked strong coffee. Checking the white paper calendar on his desk (Mr. Smith is decidedly old school), he reviews his schedule for the coming day.
On the wall is a motivational picture featuring a penguin standing on a wide, icy canyon. He or she is stuck on one side, longing to snack on the yummy fish on the other side. The penguin is thinking about a giant catapult flinging it (the penguin) to the other side. The caption reads "Think Positive".
That penguin is Meriwether's spirit animal.
At 7:00AM, he takes his usual place outside near the front entrance of the school, greeting as many folks as humanly possible. As the trickle of students turns into a rush of hundreds of backpacks, barrettes, and braces, Mr. Smith stands back and watches.
He's there mostly to help maintain order, but whereas the school guard and assistant principal greet the kids with scowls, Mr. Smith does it with brightness and cheer, hoping to help them all Think Positive.
As the last of the buses pulls away at 7:35AM, Mr. Smith heads to the administrative office to check in with Principal Lee. It's the first of the day's many, many meetings. Seeing she has her patented I'm-not-happy face on, he prepares for the worst. Like most students, Mr. Smith doesn't like going to the principal's office (it's dark) but does it because it's his job, it'll help the kids, and (most importantly) he gets paid to do it. Think Positive.
By 9:00AM, both first period and his first round of meetings have come to a close. Smith decides to walk the halls. Two students start a push match that could be innocent―or it could be the beginning of a bloody battle between two dudebros. Whatever it is, they stop the minute the school's counselor walks by.
Some teachers may look the other way, but Mr. Smith walks over to check in and talk it out―which, honestly, is a lot better than bleeding it out.
At 11:00AM, an assembly with the sophomores to discuss harassment and bullying takes a turn for the awkward when a 15-year-old lets out a nice big armpit fart. Mr. Smith waits for the laughter to die down, then walks straight over to the pit farter. Rather than yelling and disciplining, he decides to Think Positive. Looking around, Mr. Smith makes his own armpit fart that puts the student's weak noise to shame.
The audience bursts into laughter again. As they do, he whispers to the offender, "See me after school." Mr. Smith loses an assembly to no one.
Finally, 3:00PM rolls around, and with it the end of detention. Usually Smithy would be heading home now, but the final task of the day is here: one of the kids is in his tenth detention, which means an automatic meeting with the parents.
Smith and the kid wait. And wait. And wait. And finally after what seems like an eternity, Mr. and Mrs. We-Don't-Show-Up-On-Time finally show up. At 4:00PM. Obviously, this is not going to go well, no matter how many positive thoughts Mr. Smith might have―I'm positive I don't want to be here, for example.
As the door slams behind them, a sudden darkness passes over Mr. Smith. Most of the time, uncomfortable meetings like that are no sweat for his training and attitude. Every once in a while, there's that one jerk that pushes Mr. Smith's tolerance level to the breaking point.
And as Mr. I-Don't-Care-About-My-Son's-Future decides that the blame for all of this lays squarely on Mr. Smith's shoulders―as if he was the one running around defacing property and threatening classmates―Smith reaches his terminal limit. This guy has made Meriwether Smith angry, and you wouldn't like Meriwether Smith when he's angry.
Without warning, he Hulks out. He thinks Meriwether smash, and looks for something to break. He wants to walk the halls punching every band member, football player, after-school administrator, custodian, and school mascot he can find right in their ugly thankless fa...
Stress ball. On your desk. Only a few feet away. Must. Squeeze. Smiley face...
After a few uncertain moments of tense concentration and a vice-like grip on the poor, unsuspecting stress ball, the superhuman rage that has overtaken Mr. Smith begins to clear. Soon the danger washes away, and as he notices that the clock says 5:00PM, his cheerful self begins to return, and he forces himself to Think Positive.
As he gathers his things and gets ready to head out, Mr. Smith checks the calendar for tomorrow. His next therapy session is at 6:00PM the next night. Not one he's conducting―his own visit with his personal therapist. That's Meriwether time.
He shuts off the lights, and just before he closes the door, he touches the picture of the silly penguin that's forever Thinking Positively. Mr. Smith will go home, unwind, and prepare for the next day's test of will, knowing that the penguin will always be with him.