How Are You by annie gebel
How Are You? It’s a greeting as much as hello is now-a-days. “Hey! How are you?” “What’s up? How you doin’?” “It’s been so long, how are you?!” Do you struggle with how to answer this as much as I do? I’ve totally answered with the generic ‘fine’ or ‘okay,’ but they feel like lies and I don’t love that. I’m rarely just fine or okay. I’m great or relaxed or content or frustrated or hungry or tired. But, fine? Meh. I’ve also not answered with my answer. “We don’t have time to get into it” or “That’s a complicated question” or “Too personal, just give me my coffee, please.” I like being authentic, which takes people by surprise, but sometimes I just need my cashier to take my money and leave it at that. No hard feelings. I know they have a job to do. I’m just keeping it polite and real. On occasion, though, I want to just lay it out! Especially when I’m overwhelmed and don’t want to think about how I’m doing, I just want to let the asker know exactly how I am. I’m devastated, exhausted, and ignoring things like my children (who thankfully are capable of taking care of themselves) because the emergent needs of my husband (who is in the hospital as I write this) are taking up all my energy. I know you don’t know what else to say and/or you’re really wondering how I’m doing but I’m trying really hard to hold it together right now and being honest about how impossibly hard this feels doesn’t sound like something I want to do. (And why would they even ask that at the hospital check in desk? I’m coming to a hospital to visit someone, how should I be?)
