Skip to main content

When Someone Asks. . .

 

Hopefully, these two gentlemen are not talking at great length about their ongoing aches, pains, and respective tales of woe.


Among the many ideas imparted to yours truly by my late maternal grandmother and late mother are two related points.  

First, whenever someone asks how you are, simply reply, "Very well, thank you."  You could, if you feel up to it, also ask "And you?"  My grandmother always instructed, however, that other people do not really want to know how you are.  They are simply being courteous in most cases, so give them a courteous (and concise) reply.  

My own addition to this piece of advice?  Save the detailed, angst ridden answers for your analyst or medical doctor.  Behind closed doors.  It's far better to leave certain things to the imagination.

Second, my late mother always advised to spare everyone the excruciating details of your personal aches and pains in whatever form those might take.  As she used to say, the world is a highly interesting place.  Lengthy discussion of one's great aunt's neighbor's mother's cousin with an ingrown toenail, who lives down the street and around the corner, is excruciatingly dull as well as crass.  It's far better, ol' Mom advised, simply not to join in such topics of conversation and do one's utmost to change the subject.  And, she added, you certainly do not share your own aches, pains, or latest tale of woe.

I suppose, in our current era of general over familiarity, obsession with sharing in the name of personal authenticity (Spare me!), and tendency to blurt out even the most personal details via social media that this point is lost on a lot of people.  But there we are.

 -- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

Popular Posts

The Power of Ideas. . .

  T he end is nigh!  The autumn semester/term approaches.  And while we still have almost two months of summer left according to the calendar, "Summer is over and gone," as the crickets sang in Charlotte's Web .  At least for those of us who head back to the classroom in less than a month.   In advance of a meeting with my program director late Monday morning, I spent about 40 minutes total during the weekend to jot down several ideas about planned workshops and related activities for the coming 2024-2025 academic year.  At an opportune moment, I mentioned "I have a few ideas," and opened my leather portfolio.   My director was highly receptive to almost everything I suggested, and we had a very productive planning session for just over 90 minutes.  Just about everything I sketched out on Sunday aligns with his own ideas.  It's nice when meetings go that well, and two related things occur to me in hindsight. One, it pays to exercise...

Late Summer Evening Meal Grazing. . .

  T he Grand Duchess is away until tomorrow evening, and the Young Master typically gets to have his dinner with TV or Flight Simulator on Fridays, so yours truly is solo for dinnertime this evening.  Not really in the mood to "fix" something for myself, I decided to enjoy some fresh vegetables from Thursday's CSA haul instead.  A little salt and pepper with a large glass of chilled tonic water, and Bob's your uncle!  Sliced fresh strawberries with pineapple and cantaloupe chunks for dessert I think, followed by the usual fresh dark roast coffee and a brisk walk around the neighborhood following the Young Master's bedtime.  Ahhhh. . . -- Heinz-Ulrich

CSA Pick-Up Style. . .

I t's getting to be that time in the summer!  Yep, the garden fresh vegetables are starting to come in.  Picked up the first half-share of the Grand Duchess' Summer 2024 community supported agriculture allotment late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.  Some delicious looking items that will make a nice salad for dinner this evening.  Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess and Young Master are across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin visiting cousins for the next several days and attending a large annual airshow. while yours truly holds down the fort. More of the usual summertime fare in the attire photos featured.  This particular shirt, while it has not appeared here in quite some time, is one of my favorites.  An item that has been in the seasonal rotation for a dozen years or more.  It ironed up nicely before I put it on and tucked it in.  The chino shorts (with a 6" inseam. . .  I know, I know.) are one of many such khaki pairs currently occupying the bottom...