...are you ever in a bad mood?

YES, at least once a day!
But you're always so cheerful.
Would it serve a purpose for you to know if I was in a bad mood?
No. But how can you be so cheerful all the time?
It's kind of a story.
I'd love to hear a story about something that's not work related.

Well, when I was in my teens, 18 actually, I saw this TV movie. It was about a double amputee who learned to snow ski. He had lost his left arm and leg, or maybe his right, I can't remember. Anyway, the whole movie was about his struggle to overcome his disability. At the end, after he's swished down a mountain, some guy, stunned and awed, expressed his disbelief at the man's accomplishment. The star of the movie simply said, "oh, this? This is just a little inconvenience."

There I am, 18, in the throes of adulthood, rebellious, moody, incorrigible...you get the picture. And here's this one line at the end of a cheesy TV movie that was probably so corny to most people. But it was profound to me. OK, so I didn't get over my attitude issues for many, many, many...more years, but that always stuck with me. So what if you get a flat tire? It's really just a little inconvenience. So what if a tree falls on your house? It's really just a little inconvenience. See what I mean? Most daily problems are just silly in the grand scheme of things.

So there was that. Then, in my early thirties, I worked for an Optometrist. He was gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. His partner was a crazy happy guy! I loved being around him. I kept in touch with both of them after we moved away and a few years later, the Doc called to tell me that I should call Jason and say hi - he was dying of Aids and didn't have much longer. I was heartbroken. Of course I called him and while we were talking I asked him why he didn't tell me before. He told me that it didn't serve a purpose to tell me. It wasn't going to make him better. It would only make me sad and he just wanted to be remembered for the joy he brought to people. Whoa. He died a few weeks later but I'll always remember that conversation.