Sometimes, the response is important
Today I had a conversational exchange with someone that took a familiar shape. It was so familiar, I think it’s safe to say I’ve had the conversation a hundred times before. It wasn’t with a guy called Bill, but to protect the innocent, I have renamed him.
It goes a little something like this:
John: Hey Bill
Bill: Hey John
John: How’s it going?
Bill: Pretty good, how about you?
John: Meh
This is what I call “standard walking-past-each-other-in-the-hallway conversation #1″
Problem is, there were some words in the exchange that my brain supplied that my ears never actually heard, namely the “How about you?” part.
So the ACTUAL conversation went like this:
John: Hey Bill
Bill: Hey John
John: How’s it going?
Bill: Pretty good
John: Meh
Unfortunately, this is what is known as”standard John-is-a-jerk conversation #1″