How Are You?

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Happy Monday!

How are you?

Do you get this question from your friends nowadays? Suddenly you stop on your tracks (drop whatever is keeping you busy and sane and fighting and "oK") and sit down to reply?

I never thought that this simple "How are you?" we throw in at the end of every greeting with any person we say hi to on the streets would mean so much.

How are you?
These three words tell me someone remembered, someone cared to ask. They tell me that I am not really "solo" and that I am at this moment going to connect to someone else, far away, but nonetheless near at heart.

How are you?

Sometimes, it also forces me to ask..."How am I?" Ok pa ba ako? Admittedly, I dealt with this quarantine through a flurry of webinars, watching videos and news, connecting people for a response, working even. I am busy. My mind keeps working. My social media accounts have never been busier.

But, am I ok?

I do have my days.

Someone recently asked me, how do you snap out of it? I said, I do a good deed.

Now, I am not saying this for any other reason than to give you a tip. Try it.

What does this do to me? It makes me feel less alone, more connected, more purposeful, less self-absorbed. Yeah, I know it still sounds like I did it for myself but, nah! I am not gonna defend a good deed to satisfy challengers. Try it first. We'd all be better for it.

Am I Ok? Are you?

We are entering our 6th week of quarantine and we do not know when this will end. Know that out there, hope is thinning out for others.

A good deed need not involve too much resources.

Sometimes, its as easy as asking... "How are you?"

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