The Skip Smiley Perspective

April and May can be challenging months.

There’s generally a lot of transition happening and, if you’re in education, the end of the school year is approaching and testing is taking the reins.

It feels like, at any point, the tablecloth is going to be ripped out from under me and I’m either going to 1) tumble down and crash or 2) survive. But it’s emotionally exhausting to feel in limbo.

In any case, I was inspired by a little combination of Goddess Cards, Chipotle, and Aziz Ansari this weekend.

After we went hiking for Bruni’s 50th birthday on Sunday, we went to Chipotle for lunch. On the back of their take-out bags, they had a short piece by Aziz Ansari. I copied and pasted it below.

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Why do we always want the best? I had to get a toothbrush the other day. Before I left my house, I searched “best toothbrush.” It seemed like the sensible thing to do.

As I typed in the search box, the auto-fill completed the thought immediately. I wasn’t alone in my toothbrush purchase insecurity. A flurry of articles came up with conflicting opinions and, for a moment, I felt stupid.

Every toothbrush I bought on a hunch has been fine. I’ve never been disappointed in a toothbrush. Why waste my time trying to find the best? Have you ever run into someone with no teeth and asked, “What happened?” And they replied, “Bought the wrong toothbrush. Should have done more research.”

Then again, I do use a toothbrush quite a bit. If you can get the best, why not? I mentioned the dilemma to a friend. She said her dentist had given her a great toothbrush called Timbul. She claimed it was “amazing” and it “changed the game.”

A game-changing toothbrush!

I went on Amazon and found it. There were 192 reviews. First review. 5 stars. “Great brushes.” From a guy delightfully named Skip Smiley.

Could I trust him? I clicked to see his other reviews.

I soon began to question Mr. Smiley’s integrity. Dude was giving 5 stars to everything:

A diving snorkel: “Love it.”

The book, I, Alex Cross: “Great book.”

An ink cartridge: “Just fine.” “Just fine” but still five stars? Huh? More research had to be done.

But then I thought about Skip Smiley. Maybe he figured it out. Maybe you just make confident decisions and feel great about them. Did Skip fret about which diving snorkel to buy? Doubtful. Instead of stressing out about other options and possibilities, he was swimming with his snorkel, making the best of life.

I decided to buy the toothbrush. And you know what?

It’s a great toothbrush.

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Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with all the different opportunities life presents me with. I always worry that I’m not doing the right thing. Or making the right choice. If I chose a different route, would I be happier? Would I have just gotten X if I did Y?

I have fallen victim to the over-researching, the over-complication, the attempt-to-do-everything-so-you-regret-nothing syndrome. And, if anything, it’s just left me in limbo.

So, it was helpful to take some time this weekend to think about my life with a Skip Smiley lens on. No matter which path I take, no matter what choice I make, everything will work itself out. With the right attitude. With the right perspective. The Skip Smiley perspective.