White Lie [A lie of little importance, especially one told in order to be tactful or polite]

Had the obligatory phone conversation with my mother this week. Usually try to speak to her about once a month if I can remember to (or bare it). My mother talks a lot. In these ‘catch up’ calls it feels as though she truly believes that she must tell me about every single thing that she has done or thought of since the last time we spoke. I don’t bemoan these conversations, she is after all my mother and I don’t see her very often, so it’s almost a ritual of sorts now.

Obviously she asks me how I am; Obviously I say I’m fine. There’s something about that question that really grates on me. Mostly it seems when people ask it of me, I am in fact NOT all right. And it’s the kind of question that in most cases people don’t really want to hear the answer to anyway. To be honest my mother is probably a bad example because she honestly does want to know how I am, but then again if we start off down that route on one of our calls then god knows how long I might end up trapped on the phone. But in most cases (my mother withstanding) people just don’t consider the possible consequences of asking such a question.

I do my best not to ask people how they are unless I actually want to know the answer, for better or worse. Maybe if i continue in this vain those people whom I strategically don’t ask, will one day stop asking me.

Of course in some cases it’s unavoidable, the white lie is necessary to smooth over the potentially nasty pothole that such a conversation starter could lead to. Such is the custom, and long lived & learned a custom it is too.

In case you haven’t quite guessed, yes I’m still in a bad mood : )