How’s Life?

“Soooo how’s life?” people ask me. I’m never sure how to respond. Do they mean my whole life or my life within the last few days, hours, minutes? Do they mean to ask how I am doing physically, emotionally? Are they asking about life as a whole? If they are, I can’t think of a reason why the life of people, plants and animals wouldn’t be good. Maybe they don’t even care about the deep answers and they are just asking out of courtesy as if to ask “how are you?”  

I am probably over thinking this, but this question bothers me. If someone asks me “how’s life?” I have the urge to spill out my whole story, to tell them everything that I am going through at that moment, happy or sad. But I know that’s not what they are after. So I’ll try to give them one worded, truthful answers. “How’s life?” “Tiring.” This seems awkward to me. So what are they after? How do I respond to a question like that? What’s the purpose in asking if they don’t want to hear the whole answer?

DISCLAIMER: Anyone who has asked me this in the past, or will ask me this in the future; please know that I am not offended but if I tell you the drawn out answer well… you did ask.