Hi! How ya doing?

   How many times have you said that to someone and then just kept on walking. I have to admit I am guilty of it myself. I don't think there are many people who have ever said that phase and expect an answer or many who have given the standard answer of "ok" or "fine".

   Over the past year or so my response has been "you got an hour?". This would usally get a little laugh from the person and they would be on their way. About two months ago I got a surprise. I was having a particularly bad day as I was trying to cope with the reality that my oldest brother was dying of cancer.
  
   As I was walking into work I met a co-worker who said the standard "Hi, how ya doing?" and I gave my answer. Then to my surprise he stopped and said "why, is something wrong?" I proceeded to tell my story. Wow someone actually made time to listen to how I was doing! And you know what, it felt good, no it felt GREAT!

   This happened two more times over the next few days by some others that I work with and although it didn't change things, it gave me hope that there are still some out there who are willing to know how I am doing. Thank you Jay, Bill, and Lori for taking time out of your busy schedules listening to me and being there when I needed to just talk to someone willing to listen.

    So the next time you are tempted to say, "Hi, how ya doing?", consider taking the time to stop and listening. It could make all the difference in the world for someone. Or at least make the day more bearable, it did for me.