Have you ever asked someone, “How are you doing?” and they respond absentmindedly “Oh man, really busy.” and that’s all they say? I used to be one of those people who said this. However, someone, in much the same way I’m doing now, recently told me that it’s a conversation killer.
When I was in grad school, I also worked as a part time manager at a clothing store, full time as a project manager at a textbook company, and was a nanny to children one day a week. I felt like I lived in a constant state of exhaustion, and I remember giving people the “busy” response when asked how things were going–mostly because I was too comatose to give a proper response. They would chuckle, wag their fingers at me, and say “Life only gets busier!”
Now, in a different stage of life (but admittedly not one that people would call the “busiest,” since I don’t have young children), I can reflect on those comments and realize that life is just a different kind of busy as you go through different seasons, and there are interesting things about those busy seasons–beyond just the boring fact that you’re (surprise, surprise) busy!
Next time someone asks you how you’re doing, resist the urge to give the pat response, and think through something that you can share that would engage that other person in conversation. Unless of course you don’t want to talk to them. If that’s the case, feel free to tell them “I’ve been so busy.”
