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

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gilding the Donut

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wrong Word

Friends, Do you ever find yourself starting to say a word, realizing it’s the wrong choice and trying to change it while speaking — making it worse? For me, it’s happened more times than I care to admit. A recurring faux pas for me occurs at the part of the mass where the congregation says “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, o Lord, until you come again”. For some reason my brain wants to say “profess” instead of “proclaim” — which would essentially mean the same thing. Unfortunately, in my clumsy attempts to fix my mistake mid-word, what comes out sounds like “profane” — totally the wrong vibe. Good thing the entire congregation is saying the same thing in unison. If someone heard me they might think the priest was consecrating a donut, instead of the host. Happy Friday!
Post a Comment
Read more