SMILE FRIDAYS

“I am like a wizard in the night. I am the chill in the air when you use the bathroom on some December morn. Yes, I am the nightmare the dog is having.”

Do you like it? It’s the opening to my creative essay, “My name is Alan.” It’s about this fella named Alan and he’s really frightening. I love Alan, and hope to see him through many a raucous adventure.

Essay writing is just one part of my “Smile Fridays” class at the Oro Vista Senior Center. They keep us active, and teach us how to not be angry by reading us stories. At the end of each story the characters are always smiling, when before, they were down. When I don’t feel like smiling, Nurse Yvonne calls me a big sourpuss. Sometimes that makes me smile again. But sometimes that makes me try to beat Nurse Yvonne to the ground. I guess that’s why Nurse Dan is there, to help me behave.

At last week’s class Nurse Yvonne had a dog named Puppers come visit us. I don’t know whose dog it really is, but he was supposed to make us smile. Anyhow, Puppers made the rounds and was getting lots of loving, mostly from the ladies. He was pretty charming. Then out of the blue comes some kinda sweet smell in the air, and Bam! Puppers was peeing on old Mrs. Belden. Oh, all hell broke loose then. Nurse Dan kept shoutin “No Puppers!” and "Goddamn!" That's when Mrs. Belden pulled out some pepper spray. It turned out to be a very sad day for Puppers, but that wacky howl he let out as he shot straight up into the air sure put a smile on my face. I love my class.