How am I? What am I up to?
I get these emails from friends from around the place every now and then updating me of their lives and while most know i've had a pretty extraordinary year, I'm still not sure what to tell them. I should have a template or two ready.
a) I'm doing good getting stronger and am glad to hear you're doing so well. I'm well on the way to getting my health back and looking forward to getting back into working again.
or
b) I have mini crises of confidence and feel lost and am not so sure where I'm going or what direction my life is taking me. Once I had been so sure of what it is and where it was I was going but now I'm really not so sure. Oh by the way congratulations on everything and its great to hear how you're doing.
Both are truthful but I would say (b) is the more truthful or does it seem like I'm asking for sympathy?
or
c) Everything is super here and everything is falling into place now, it's great to hear that you're doing so well.
I think it depends on my mood and I will sleep on such emails before replying.
Does anybody else have stock answers?
a) I'm doing good getting stronger and am glad to hear you're doing so well. I'm well on the way to getting my health back and looking forward to getting back into working again.
or
b) I have mini crises of confidence and feel lost and am not so sure where I'm going or what direction my life is taking me. Once I had been so sure of what it is and where it was I was going but now I'm really not so sure. Oh by the way congratulations on everything and its great to hear how you're doing.
Both are truthful but I would say (b) is the more truthful or does it seem like I'm asking for sympathy?
or
c) Everything is super here and everything is falling into place now, it's great to hear that you're doing so well.
I think it depends on my mood and I will sleep on such emails before replying.
Does anybody else have stock answers?
posted by fb at
1:58 AM
16 Comments:
hm.
i don't think i have stock answers (unless it's someone at work asking me about myself).
i pretty much say, "life's good," and them ramble incoherently about various things i've done, anything that might be coming up, maybe a book i want to read and if i'd had a particularly good dinner the week before.
i'm detail girl - i leave the big picture mostly out of it.
by the by, i had lovely crepes and nutella for dessert this evening.
any good desserts your way recently?
:)
Most of the time, I just leave the email on my inbox and wait for a REALLY good time to email back to say how I'm doing. This means I will probably reply between 6 months to a year and by the time they get my reply, they can't even remember what they wrote.
I'm a horrible, horrible person.
Or if I know them well, I tell them about my blog so they can read all the mundane things about my life.
My stock answer would be too small to fill up a blog comment, let alone a whole email.
Try all three answers, and let the reader decide. ^_^
I think I have a couple of those, mainly to myself, since I expect that sooner or later people will make those kinds of questions...
But, as you say, both those answers are you, so it is okay if you give any of them, depending on your mood. Perfectly understandable.
depends on the friend.
b is only for the brave.
i'd go with a for the majority of people.
No stock answers. Just the truth; say it like it is. That way people who love you can help in a realistic way.
Take care, fb.
in my experience a lot of people are not really listening for a response. so i try to say little without lying most of the time. then there are some who think they want to hear how you really are but can't really handle the truth! lol! but there is always that someone (or someones) - and that is all you need who does want to know, and is listening and for whom all of this is not only okay but normal.
there are so many people who have no idea what they want in life - so they get up every day to go to jobs they hate. at least you are thinking about it all.
My stock answer:
"same old same old"
question: how the heck did you know that i originally wanted my wedding at gatorland?! psychic! :D *laugh*
ok, not really, but how the hell did you know about gatorland? i feel as though i should know this answer, such as, you used to live in florida or have visited. why do i have this feeling?
maybe it's all the sinus medication i've recently been ingesting.
Why don't you give them
the multiple choice?
Ask them to guess!!!
With me it depends on the
friend. I am quite lost this
week -well, last two weeks -
so anyone that e-mailed
and i love - probably got the
"crap actually' respose:)
(but very few are true friends
otherwise they get the
"Awesome!!!!!!" lie.
smiles!!!
just remember, always run zig zag! if you do, them thar' gaters kent getcha. them's is good eatin'.
hmmm... gator meals at the gatorland wedding! *laugh* we thought it would be fun to have sushi at a wedding held at an aquarium. and i suppose i could definitely run zig zag in a wedding dress - it's the shoes that would decide whether or not i'd end up being eaten!
(no cooked apples? apple pie?)
I guess it depends on who you're talking to too. If it's friends, then say whatever you want to say and be truthful. If it's "friends" who may be able to help you on your road back to the working world...then the sad truth is they're going to want to hear answer A, and sometimes we have to put on the brave face to get everything rolling.
Good luck & you can always say the "real" answer to me :)
mine are similar to yours, a+c only. Dont tend to do b, I just say
"Life's pretty crap but hey ho"
hey fb,
there is a book that i have been reading on and off for months and that i bought ages ago. and i only just looked at the title today - muriel spark's loitering with intent.
i laughed.
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