To whoever you are that is reading this I ask, “how are you?”

I woke up (late and groggy because of allergy meds) today to this very question from an old friend who I haven’t talked to in a while. It made my day! Thank you dear Sayantani.

It’s the most basic act of kindness. A simple sentence, yet so profound. An emotion that comes straight from the heart. A sincere and earnest question that tells another human being – I care, I’m thinking about you.

Ask someone, "how are you?"

instagram chat of someone asking me how are you?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful and I don’t mean to offend everyone who’s asked, but today was special because of the time and distance that had separated my friend and me for so long. It was a restoration of the human connection, the knowledge that she thought of me in the midst of the struggle that is SARS-coV2 aka COVID-19.

As I showered later this morning, I realised two things:

  • it’s become apparent – most of my deepest realisations happen in the show 🤪
  • ’how are you’ matters more than all the online clutter

I was talking to a client in Australia yesterday, and they mentioned how much fear and stress is being caused by the amount of information being exchanged online. Honestly, between fake news, everyone going ‘live’, and the annoying amount of forwards I get on Whatsapp, I can personally testify to that feeling of stress. My answer? I simply choose to ignore. (no offence, but it’s just too much!)

I wonder, if we spent just a few minutes of our day asking the people we know, ‘how are you?’, and taking time to really hear them out and where possible meeting their need, wouldn’t that be so much more valuable?

In this time of uncertainty, suffering and loss, let’s spread kindness, love and compassion through first asking, ‘how are you?’ It costs nothing but means everything.

So I ask again, how are you dear reader? Tell me because I want to know. 🤗