"How are you?" (Patreon)

What a hard question to answer. When I worked in retail, there would be this man who always made a show of answering with very negative honest assessment of his day. At the time I thought it was a sort of affectation, but in hindsight, it can be a frustrating question.

It can be frustrating to just say "good" all the time. Because it is a formality. It's a pleasantry. Even if things are a bit rough. And that's okay. I ask how are you all the time. I have been my whole life. And when people ask me, I always joke. Deflect.

"Well, I'm getting out of life what I put into it."

But lately I've been saying, "Right as rain."

The more I think about it, the more I love this. Right as rain. Rain isn't right or wrong. Rain just is. So, it's a good, pleasant answer to your friend, or the polite stranger.

But it also reminds me that whether it's a good day, or if it's a bad day, I still just am.

And that's reassuring. It is a little pocket of safety.