We were on Zoom waiting for the other members of New York Health and Longevity to join the meeting. I asked fellow Gothamite Janet Sullivan how she was doing.
She answered that she was okay but with the reservation that she was doing as well as could be expected given the stress that we have all been under for over a year. (My apologies to Janet for not giving a verbatim report of her response.)
Janet, a psychotherapist, continued and explained that she preferred to give an honest answer to my question, rather that the “Great” that we so often would hear in response. A less than honest answer is, well, less than honest, and also has the potential of making the other person uncomfortable by highlighting a contrast to how they are doing.
Valid points.
Next time you’re asked how you are doing, pause for a moment as you compose your response.