9/22/22: I have been annoyed with the small talk greeting, “How are you?” for a little while now. Since my brother died, since the pandemic, etc. Usually people mean well, but in the end everyone just wants to hear that you’re good. And I think, for the most part, it’s just a polite ritual of our culture and how you *really* are isn’t actually the question, in most cases. Sure. I get that. However, I struggle to ignore the honesty of that moment, and I sorta feel like I freeze up. Like there is half of me that knows what I’m supposed to say and knows the purpose behind this innocuous greeting, and half of me that is like NO YOU HAVE TO SAY WHAT’S TRUE WHICH IS THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST FINE!!! And so, I would like to offer back into the public consciousness the 90s favorite, “What’s up?” as an alternative. You can bypass how you are, if you like, and go straight to what’s on your mind without the crisis of negotiating politeness with truth.