CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #538
Barack Obama taught me how to smile. Perhaps I should explain. I've been lucky enough to have met and had my picture taken with the President on several occasions. Politics aside, it's an amazingly cool thing to spend a moment with a man who is a living part of history. (And no matter what your politics, you have to be a little grateful that history didn't end during his tenure.) Anyway, the smile. Each time I received my ridiculously expensive, suitable-for-framing photograph of me and the POTUS, there I'd be, staring into the camera with a tight-lipped, rictus grin stitched into my face. And there he'd be, hand dangling loosely over my shoulder, with an ear-to-ear smile that showed a whole lot of gleaming teeth. And guess who looked better? Guess who looked like he was having a good time? There was no question that I needed to make some changes, beginning with a tube of whitening toothpaste. Then I had to practice that smile in front of a camera. At first the whole toothy thing felt strange and forced. I was sure I looked like an escapee from a mental institution who had been interrupted while devouring a squirrel. But the results were unquestionable. Despite how I might have been feeling, I almost always looked as if I was happy and relaxed. All of which explains why his term in office might be coming to a close, but I will keep his smile with me forever.
