Skip to main content

From good to great

Dear members and constituents,
We all engage in it. That hallway exchange meant to show a friendly gesture, good will and acknowledge some form of social interaction is warranted between you and the person you're greeting. It goes something like this: "Good morning, how are you today?" and the reply can range the gamut but is generally conveyed in positive terms, something like "good and you?". With the fast pace of modern life, you only have time for one more volley before you're out of ear shot (or have to stop and make a real conversation). While the positive response sandwiched in the middle of that short chatter is usually nothing more than a formality, I believe creating a meaningful scale that uses these common responses in a hierarchical manner might help us to convey more useful information in what has otherwise become a rather ritualistic formality.

I propose the following scale
  • Never better (this has to be at the top, if there were something better you could use as a greeting at that moment, then this statement would not be true)
  • Great (greatness is uncommon in all aspects of life, therefore I think it should be near the top of the scale)
  • Ducky (this is where the waters get a little muddy. I think ducky should be better than peachy because, after all ducks are a higher life form than peaches)
  • Peachy (refer to the above)
  • Good (this is the middle of the road answer. People should generally be good, this is a condition we should all expect of each other)
  • Fine and dandy (this could be used interchangeably with "just fine" or "fine" because, in my opinion, "dandy" just lengthens the statement and is a term describing your appearance and demeanor, not your wellbeing)
  • A little under the weather (this means you have physical discomfort --perhaps seasonal allergies-- that is preventing you from being your normal cheerful self)
  • My day just sucks! (something bad has happened to you, not the end of the world but this is a good warning sign the person trying to engage in chitter chatter should think twice)
  • If I were any worse, I'd shoot myself (self-preservation is the ultimate instinct, if you are considering ending your existence, I would say that is the worse possible statement you'd hear at the office, anything below this and you would not be at work)

Conversely we could go to a numeric system of 1 - 9 with 9 being "never better" and 1 being "if I were any worse, I'd shoot myself". That would certainly be more efficient (for you fast hallway walkers out there). For example, today I would rate my wellbeing at a 9. A number of factors are contributing to this feeling, including my imminent departure on a month long excursion to Ecuador, the fact we're having donuts on a Thursday and my overall positive spin on life. Regardless of how you're feeling, the consumption of a donut is sure to bump your wellness factor up a notch or two (in my case, as soon as I consume a donut, I think mine will go to eleven). So come on down and grab yourself that positive energy that will set the right tone for your day and for this upcoming holiday weekend.

Happy F... um, Thursday!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ashes to Ashes

  Friends, I don’t know about you, but my household tends to use things a tad beyond their reasonably useful life. Cars, razors, pillows... heck, we squeezed the last BTU out of our home’s 25 year old thermostat —15 years is for rookies. This week we bid our fire pit farewell. Structurally unstable and rusted to the core, this contrivance was well on its way to returning to the soil. Memories of s’mores, cigars and shared spirits come rushing back, as does the six foot tall cardboard peach burned atop it, which caused the first stress fractures in the waning days of 2019. Good times! I suppose nothing lasts forever, but memories can add a sense of permanence to the fleeting. So go, grab a donut and make some new memories!! Happy Friday!
Post a Comment
Read more

To an end to Covid Games

  Friends, As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to remember and be grateful for another year of life – there’s much for which to be grateful. Sure, some things could have gone better (they always can), but on balance things were good. At the González household, the cathartic process of capturing this year’s essence to burn at midnight is wrapping-up. This year’s theme, “Covid Games from home” uses Squid games (Netflix’s unlikely breakaway hit) as a way to mock the two main Covid variants of concern (Delta and Omicron) and commiserate about working from home with all the weirdness it carries along. Comfy slippers combined with dressing-up from the waist up for zoom meetings (not to mention the quarantine fifteen). As I hope for lots of snow and no wind (lest we need to call an audible on the midnight burn) my thoughts turn to my friends in Boulder county and hopes for a quick recovery. May 2022 bring an end to confinement and lots of opportunities to share donuts. Happy Friday!
Post a Comment
Read more

BIrds of a Feather

Friends, The early bird catches the worm, however, as the sun rises I’d much rather have a Denver omelet than a diet of worms . Ready to fly the coop, my ducks all in a row, I ponder one more time whether a bird in hand is truly worth two in the bush. Egged-on by my quest to tuck away a nest egg, I’ve decided to change industries and hope that, like the phoenix, my career will also rise from the ashes of change. After all, I’m no spring chicken –my crow’s feet and gray bely my age – however, I have to trust my judgment and believe you can’t catch this old bird with chaff (whether or not folks think me an odd bird for my actions). And so I shall attempt to soar like an eagle, aware that counting my chickens before they hatch would be ill-advised. As I learn to talk turkey in the language of cybersecurity, I will endeavor not to hide my head in the sand, choosing instead to be like a duck – calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath! And while my excessive use of bird-inspired
Post a Comment
Read more