How are you

Have you asked lately:  How are you?  The answer isn’t simple.  There’s so much going on in life that we often don’t know how we are actually doing?

How are you?

How are you really?  When was the last time you asked yourself this question?  It’s a very simple question but do you know how you actually are doing?  When you sit down to think about it, do you know how you are feeling?

On the flip side, have you asked anyone else:  How are you feeling?  While this may be something we say to people on a daily basis, do we really stop to hear the answer that is given.  The words that we hear from people when this question is asked is usually, ‘I’m good, how are you?’.  It’s a blanket response that we get and we don’t think twice.

What’s behind the answer to ‘How are you’?

When you answer this question, generally, you don’t say how you really are feeling.  The question is usually a polite way to greet someone and we don’t expect a full account of how someone feels.  I get that.  We’re just trying to be nice.

What I’m talking about here are those ‘how are you’ questions to those people we care about.  How many times have you asked this question to a family member – a sister, a brother, one of your parents or even a friend – either a close one we talk to everyday or one that we have forgotten about and haven’t even reached out to in a while?

Then, when you do eventually ask the question, do you hear the answer behind the answer.  Do you notice:

• What is their body language?
• What is their demeanor?
• Are they smiling (and is it real)?
• Is their demeanor upbeat or is it low and sullen?

Be a caring person

Everyone has something they are going through and when we encounter people, we forget that.  When we’re asking the question, “How are you”, stop and listen to the answer.  People don’t tell you their problems – not should they – but listening and hearing people may be exactly what someone needs to help them through their day.

So, I ask, ‘How are you’.  I’d love to hear.