Not “How Are You?”
Most people in the U.S. treat the question How are you? as a pleasantry, rather than a genuine inquiry into someone’s well-being. Not surprisingly, most people have been conditioned to respond to this question with “fine,” regardless of how they’re actually feeling.
And yet, often, when you and I ask this question, we really do care how that other person is feeling.
That’s why I am so fascinated by what happens when I ask my dear friend Delores how she is. Many times, she laughs and say she doesn’t know. For her, this seemingly simple question is often unanswerable.
The Angels want to point out some good news here: This means that Delores is not operating from programming. She’s not answering the question on auto-pilot. And that’s awesome.
And … this question creates an unnecessarily uncomfortable start to our conversations, so Delores and I have come up with a different question that feels lighter … less “loaded” … and certainly easier to answer.
Our new question is: How Delores are you?
Can you feel the huge difference between those two questions?
The first question—How are you?—can be answered on an infinite variety of levels. For starters, there’s how are you physically, how are you emotionally, how are you mentally, and how are you spiritually?
There’s also how are you right this second, how were you five minutes ago, and how have you been since last we spoke?
And we’re just scratching the surface with those variations! There are infinite possibilities that each of us might choose to explore or share when we answer that question.
Plus, we each hold many, many different energies, emotions and perspectives simultaneously. I may feel great about a podcast interview I did yesterday, frustrated that tech support couldn’t solve my problem this morning, tired because I didn’t sleep well last night, excited to see a friend … and lots, lots more … all in this eternal moment of now!
You could say that the only accurate answer to “How are you?” is “all the things”! Not only do we hold all those “things” within us as individuals, but also, in Oneness, we quite literally are all the things!
With all that complexity stirred up by a simple question that’s turned into little more than a pleasantry for most people, the Angels are nudging us to play with this new question.
So, how about if you check in with yourself right now:
How YOU are you?
Did you sense/feel/hear an instantaneous response?
If so, awesome: That’s your Divine guidance letting you know how much you’re embodying True You in this moment.
And … if you didn’t receive an instantaneous response, that’s Divinely perfect, too, because you get to pause for a moment and reflect:
Am I feeling inner harmony or turbulence?
Am I in my True Power, or have I momentarily forgotten that I’m an Individuated Aspect of the Divine?
Am I experiencing an emotion that’s showing up as a messenger?
We would love to hear how this seemingly simple twist on an age-old question feels to you. Please do let us know!
(with appreciation for the photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash)
