Mr. Smiley

Well known worldwide, frequently used (and overused perhaps), smiley emojis make for great responses when there’s nothing to say or you simply don’t want to share [genuine] feelings.

Mr. Smiley is a great avoidance tool.  I use him regularly . . . often to say thank you, but just as often to avoid stating how I’m doing.  I’m not generally a Gloomy Gus (not publicly anyway); there are days, however, when I can certainly become one (given my personal situation).  So, not to convey my true self, I put on a “fake face”, and no one’s the wiser.  It’s all good.

I rarely use Mr. Smiley to encourage a conversation, but he can serve such a purpose, if you wish him to.  Simply sticking him in a reply likely won’t encourage one, so you may have to add a few words.  Or not.  It’s possible Mr. Smiley may invite another Mr. Smiley, who summons a third Mr. Smiley, who attracts . . . .

Those that [really] know me understand that if I reply with an emoji, I’m too busy/stressed to “chat”.  It’s my subtle way of bowing out.  And it’s all good.

Mr. Smiley makes me smile when he shows up on my screen.  I rather like having him visit in place of “thank you” or “you’re welcome”.  He’s just so much more . . . LOL . . . personable.

Mr. Smiley, or a cousin, can brighten a message or text, even a day if it’s not going well.  Communications can seem rather to-the-point and flat when received as words/instructions only, and that’s fine.  They’re to serve a purpose: inform.  But add a positive emoji and those communications seem so much perkier. 

There’s not just one Mr. Smiley, of course.  You have several to choose from, whose smiles vary from partial to full to toothy to laughing/crying.  On the flipside, you have Mr. Frowny, Ms. Uncertain, Mr. Puzzled, and the [lengthy] list continues—to upwards of 3000.  You could write a book on—or with—those.  An intriguing/challenging thought; perhaps, when time/life opens up, I’ll give that a try one day.

Emojis can be used to circumvent a situation.  If I’m dealing with a difficult person or circumstance, I can state something matter-of-factly and add an emoji to “soften” the statement or request.  If someone affronts me, I can send an emoji without being rude (tempted as I might be to use finger/hand signage) or stating the obvious.

The point of this post?  Not much of one really.  Simply thinking about how often I use Mr. Smiley.  But maybe, just maybe, I might also prompt, yes, a smile. 

Author: tylerus

I'm primarily a writer of fiction and blog posts, and a sometimes editor and proofreader of books, manuals, and film/television scripts. Fact-checking and researching, organizing and coordinating are skills and joys (I enjoy playing detective and developing structure). My fiction audience: lovers of female-sleuth mysteries. My genres of preference: mysteries (needless to say), women’s fiction, informative and helpful “affirmative” non-fiction. So-o, here I am, staring up a new blog for aspiring and established e-Book writers. The plan: to share the (long) journey of getting to this stage, and share "learnings" and "teachings". There's a lot I hope to accomplish with this blog, but it may be a while before that happens as there's a lot on the ol' plate - taking care of Mom, working full-time, and attempting to get another book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series written (never mind blog postings and other writing projects). It's very challenging and it's all good. As I like to say: teeny focused baby steps are just as effective as long forceful strides. It may take a little longer, but we will get there. View all posts by tylerus