To avoid embarrassment is just one reason I'm becoming a hermit. When people ask me the most basic question, for the life of me, I can't give a basic answer.It's the daily double answer "Fine, thanks" and the question is "How are you?" How do I come up with something like, "Well, I'm feeling a little better than yesterday, you know, when you can feel your immune system starting to win the battle ... " Did I really just use the term "immune system" and "battle" in response to a friendly greeting?
I think "fine" is really lie. I rarely feel fine. I always have some kind of opinion about how I feel. Fine is SO indifferent and average. Life's too short to be fine. If you're kind enough to inquire, I'm not going to lie to you.
And "How are you?" is a complicated question that deserves an introspective response. People pay a lot of money to sit in a chair and explore their answer for many well-documented hours. Can anyone really answer that question in less than one volume? I just need to remember that the people walking down the hall with me aren't getting paid to listen and they didn't buy my book. And, considering this whole rationale, the hermit plan isn't such a bad idea.
