Have you ever had one of those days? Someone sneers at you and you sneer back and then your whole day is a sneer. There are some days even Happy Lights can’t help a sneer.

We do it to ourselves. We let someone who sneers at us ruin our day. We simmer and boil and pretty soon the sneer turns into a snarl, and if we let it, it could turn into a bite.

I get mad at myself when I want to sneer at someone. Usually the person I sneer at is not the person who deserves it. This poor person who gets a sneer from me is just fallout. I am still sneering, and the first sneerer is on their merry way sneering at someone else not even realizing how they are affecting someone’s day.

Now for those of you who don’t know what sneer means, it means: to smile derisively; show scorn or contempt as by curling the upper lip to express derision, scorn, or contempt in speech or writing.

However, it could be possible that when we think someone is sneering at us they are actually leering at us. The definition of leer is: To look with a sidelong glance, indicative especially of sexual desire or sly and malicious intent. A desirous, sly, or knowing look.

I think perhaps it is all in the curl of the lip. You need to watch carefully for the curl of the lip. If you see that curl, you know they are sneering and you are possibly going to let it ruin your day. You may not show them the curl of your lip because you are seething inside. You are saving that curl for the next person that darts into your path.

Of course, a leer might make you sneer, too, depending on who is doing the leering at you. Someone leering at you, (remember leer, no curled lip) might possibly make you angry, too. A leer possibly could make you sneer at someone else all day long too. It possibly could escalate into a raised hand to an unsuspecting leering cheek.

People have been concerned about sneering for a long time. These following quotes document the problem of sneering and how it can kill a mood.

“A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.” — Ovid

“The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals. And have no hope of rising in their own self esteem but by lowering their neighbors.” — William Hazlitt

But then there is hope for those who have to deal with the curl of the lip that we receive from some people.

“The world goes up and the world goes down, the sunshine follows the rain; and yesterday’s sneer and yesterday’s frown can never come over again.” — Charles Kingsley

And we also need to remember this: “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer.” — Theodore Roosevelt

I think Mr. Roosevelt was a very smart person, and we need to put our faces into a no-sneer zone.

Instead of curling our lip we could curve our lip into a smile. Maybe when the curve meets the curl, the curl would turn into a curve.

It does seem leer and sneer are very close. It seems many times they are used in the same sentence. I can’t remember the last time I leered at someone but I do know my lip has curled a few times.

So if you feel like leering or sneering today? Why don’t you try turning it around and cheering instead? Turn it into something fun like a leering cheer. Try a sidelong glance of malicious intent along with the sneering lip curl and shout “Supercalifragilisticexpealadocious!”

I won’t guarantee that if anyone is watching, they won’t want to haul you away, but they will be doing it laughing instead of sneering.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net .Her blog is paringdown.wordpress.com. Listen to KBEW AM radio 1:30 p.m. Sundays for “Something About Nothing.”