Nearly every time someone asks me how I’ve been, my answer
includes some form of “busy.” There are plenty of good things going on in my
life which I could talk about and I definitely have funny stories about the
kids which could steer me away from giving such a general answer, but whenever
the question comes my mind seems to go blank and all I can say is “busy.”
The fact is we are all busy, and anyone asking me how I’ve
been already knows I’m busy. But the word “busy” doesn’t define whether things
have been going good or bad. It doesn’t reveal whether I’ve been feeling happy
or sad or frustrated. It doesn’t give the person any substance for furthering
the conversation. As a result, the person’s attempt to show their care and
concern for what’s going on with me is spoiled.
Learning to let people help me has been a challenge as a military
wife. I am used to being independent and wanting to do everything on my own,
but this mindset can be detrimental to military spouses. People want to help,
and many times they try to initiate it by simply asking, “How have you been?”
or “How are things going?” If I am unable to provide specific and honest
answers, I risk turning away the help they are willing to give and the help
that I really do need.
So, I am challenging myself to take the word “busy” out of
my response when people ask how I’ve been. I am challenging myself to give more
defined answers and to let people know what’s really going on in my life. If they
care enough to ask, I can surely take the time to provide them with a valid
answer!
How have you been lately? I'd love to know the details!
Love this post! You're so right, when family asks-busy is my go to answer. We are military as well and that gives them no insight into how me and Hubby are, or what's going on in our lives. Thanks for such a good reminder!
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