Why”I’m Fine” Is Not Valid in 2020

how to respond to how are you questions

Written by MODISHYE

August 31, 2019

Dear "How Are You?",

How am I supposed to answer that? What kind of response should I give you? I can’t even begin to tell you how many times a day I get asked, “How are you?”—and to be honest, I’m tired of answering. Let’s be real with ourselves: you're not going to give someone a full rundown about how you stayed up until 7 a.m. working on a paper that’s due at 11, or how your roommate won’t stop complaining about the lights when you’re just trying to be productive (thank goodness I brought my own lamp to school).

It’s not realistic because, let's face it, people just don’t have the time to hear the whole saga of your day. Okay, let me clarify—in my experience—because maybe some of you have someone who’s genuinely ready to listen to all those tiny details. But in my world, people want a quick text reply to that unending question. And yes, I say unending because there are always follow-up questions, if the person is actually paying attention.

And I’m telling you right now, I’m not answering that question through text. So, how do you respond to “How are you?” What should you even say?

Well, let’s see. I’m a student. I work. I volunteer. I usher. I vlog. And now I blog. How do I even begin to answer “How are you?” The student part alone could take five or six paragraphs, depending on the day, the class, and the professor. Not all professors are the same—some come with their own wahala, and honestly, I can’t even quantify it! I just do what needs to be done. Don’t let anyone deceive you: college is hard. The workload becomes unbearable at times, but it’s got to get done. How are you supposed to capture that in a quick text?

Then, there’s my job. My responsibilities range from managing to filing to collaborating with colleagues, all to ensure our members are happy. I’m so grateful for the opportunity, and like everything in life, it requires precision.

Lastly, let’s talk about vlogging and blogging. I’m still experimenting with both. I’m learning to edit and create videos that are uplifting because I truly believe tomorrow has to be better. But, do you want to know how I’ve been trying to edit a gospel playlist video for days, only for iMovie to act like my worst enemy? I’ve passed the point of frustration, but I’m not giving up until there’s no possible solution left.

So, back to my original point: how do you answer "How are you?" and what response should you give? One way is to stick to the basics. Lately, when someone asks me how I am, I say, “I’m alive!”. Simple as that. Sometimes we get so frustrated by life’s demands that we forget the simple fact that we’re breathing. So, that’s my response for now, and if further discussion is needed, we’ll talk—but definitely not over text. The general bullet points are fine for text, but some things are just better said in person, or my personal favorite, over the phone.

Yours sincerely,

Modish__ye

P.S. The song I associate with this post is "I Smile" by Kirk Franklin.

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1 Comment

  1. Action

    How am I?
    Verticle
    Upright
    Glad to be Alive
    Everything else is just fluff in the middle.

    God in Action!!!

    Reply

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