A Question.

For context, I work at a Psychotherapy Clinic. From time to time, we talk with the clients and have short conversations while they are waiting for their therapist. We have this teenage girl who frequently visits and is vocal about how her school and friends have been.

So one time, we were waiting for her turn, and we got to talk, and I asked her how everything was. She got to share stories about her new classmates since it was the start of the school year, being active in sports, having this new friend who had the same interests, and such. I had my listening ear on and commented here and there until she returned the question to me.

"How are you?"

I was caught off guard. She asked this with a look of interest, not just because she was being polite. When you work in customer service, you immediately feel or know if some clients are being casual or genuinely invested in talking to you.

What was my answer? I barely recall what I said. I think I talked about having to do social media posts and research for the content until we were cut off because she would start her session.

Why was I surprised by the question? My introverted self is more keen on listening to someone else's story than telling mine. It always feels like someone's story is more interesting than my own. Sometimes, I feel like I will learn more from what others are sharing than they learning from what I am about to share. 

These past few days I've been thinking of why was I surprised with that question from a teenage girl. She is more attuned to the people around her than most of the adults I meet every day - including me, I must say. Most of us are too caught up with our everyday hustle and bustle, always in a hurry to do one thing to another. Sometimes we forget to breathe, be present, and just listen.

After a while, I asked myself 

"How are you?"

"How are you holding up?"

And I still don't know how to answer this question in all honesty.