Somewhere in my blogdom, I reserved Mondays for complaints. They were labeled Curmudgeon Mondays and contained rants about various contemporary habits or trends that bugged me. I feel the need to return to that format so that all my blogs don’t become complaints as I age and become out of touch with today’s world.
The rant for today is about a new phrase I find creeping into daily life. In the past few days, three people have asked me, “So, how’s your day going so far?” None of these people is an intimate friend who might know something is bothering me. Instead they are baristas or cashiers or servers.
I’m not sure what to say in return. If I’m having a bad day, do I pour out my problems to a stranger? Probably not. Do I ask in return, “Well, how’s your day going?” Or do I just nod and say, “Great.”?
I understand this question is in the same vein as “How are you?” and “Have a nice day.” It’s spoken casually without a real investment in the response. It’s more about not knowing the person you’re talking with but hoping to appear interested at the same time.
And then there’s the phrase, “Have a good one,” which always prompted me to wonder about having a good what? All are platitudes that don’t really mean anything. Do we really need another one?
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