How are you?

Remember when you were a kid and someone asked you that question? The answer was always "Fine, thanks, and you?" Remember that?

Lately (and I'm guilty of this too) the answer has been "Good. You?" Can I just say I hate this? When did we stop saying that we're fine? The poor word "fine". It's getting obsolete, isn't it?

The other day Audrey and I were out together and someone asked her how she was and she answered "Good". That was it. Later I had to actually explain to her what I preferred to hear her say in that situation. Which is:

Nameless Person: Hello, Audrey, how are you?
Audrey: Fine, thank you. And you?
NP: Fine, thanks for asking.

See, not so hard. Polite, not too wordy but it gets the job done. And it makes her seem a little less like the grunting, uncaring, prepubescent tween she can be.

kxx