Sunday, September 25, 2011

I am Fine!!

How many times a day we respond saying we are fine to the gentle query “how are you?” and how many days are we actually fine?

Both custom and courtesy, allow no other answer. Imagine you are walking through the office and when your colleague asks you “how are you?” you reply “not good. Today wearing these jeans made me realize how much weight I have gained” or “Not good. Just saw the bank statement, gas prices are killing me” or “Not good. My dog is having an affair with the neighbor’s bitch and they decide to communicate in the night.”

Or “not good. I think I made some very bad choices in life” or “not good. My kid is constantly sick” or “not good. My realtor is a fraud”

Or “I am great. Despite you throwing me under the bus in our last meeting” or “I am good, but may be you should visit your stylist” or “Super, you pay me for pretending to work”

Once a friend said that everyone including friends and family like to hear that all is good. They are not interested in knowing the details of what is really going on….. she is kind of right. You come across as very negative and petty if you decide to express everything you are going through.

Actually all issues do not need to be reported either, most are like waves which sweep the shore only to be vanish. But some of these bottle inside us and then they erupt as something really bad and drastic. Divorces, pink slips, voilent breakups and now a days hiring people to murder spouses/business partners could be the result of too many “I am fine.”

Well I can’t think of a smart replacement though ….