3 ms·
From now on, I need to start responding to "How are you?" with "Normal".
by Clewza313 5y ago
From now on, I need to start responding to "How are you?" with "Normal".
- ph0rque 5y agoMy go to answer is, "can't complain". Vague enough to leave it alone if the question is trivial, but also open-ended enough to expound upon if the other person is genuinely interested in my well-being.
- scruple 5y agoMe, too. It's a very Midwestern response... [0] [0]: https://youtu.be/vm-MrkoJPC8?t=35 https://youtu.be/vm-MrkoJPC8?t=35
- gsk22 5y agoI also like "hangin' in there" -- especially since Covid started.
- CRConrad 5y agoReminds me of the old joke: -- What, "can't complain"? Really? You're in a Siberian prison camp, starving and freezing your toes and fingers off, and you "can't complain"? -- Yes, when you're in a Siberian prison camp, you can't complain...
- sray 5y agoMy favorite response to “How are you?” comes from a Russian former coworker: “Average. Worse than yesterday, better than tomorrow”.
- andai 5y agoI heard this phrase described as "Russian Optimism".
- Slow_Hand 5y agoAmerican here: I did it last night with a cashier and she laughed and was, I think, amused by the novel response. It seemed to brighten her up a small amount. She then continued to make conversation by saying “Well let’s see if we can’t get you to better than normal.” That was slightly offputting and I wish she didn’t feel the need to take it there. I’m perfectly content with feeling “normal”. I suppose the way I think of it is like dynamic range of expression. Normal is baseline and perfectly suitable. It’s where I like being. Great or bad are for special cases where I feel extraordinary.