If We Had Tails That Wagged

By Leanne M. Benson

“Why don’t snakes have eyebrows?” asked the sloth.

“So, that you can’t tell when I’m frowning,” the snake replied. ~Unknown

We have over forty muscles in our face to help us make expressions. Yet we spend most of our adult lives working to hide our feelings.

Even though I watch other people’s expressions or the lack thereof, I seldom think about what my resting face looks like to others. Call it catatonic, highway hypnosis, deadpan, poker face, thousand-yard stare, or RBF. Call it what you will, it’s interesting what we say, when we say nothing at all.

Can you just imagine what the world would be like if we all had tails that wagged? A tail that worked independently; sagging when we were sad, wagging when we were happy, and so on. Maybe a tail would help us to understand each other better.

How often do you think about the expressions you wear?

Note: This adorable painted illustration and many others are featured in my new children’s book, “The Unbelievable Topsy Turvy Day!” Coming soon. Find out more at https://www.leannembenson.com.