I often think.
I wrote that first line and almost left it as a poem by itself because those three words are a nice summarization of what I wish I could say when someone asks me “How are you”

See the phrase, “I often think” pretty much describes my mood no matter the day, time, age or circumstance that I might be going through.
I think about everything, all of the time.
In fact there hasn’t been a moment since I was born when I wasn’t thinking about something

When someone asks me how I am doing, I long to reply with “i often think”
Because replying with “better than I deserve” or “well I’m just living the dream” has never felt right to me.
Every single time I have been asked the basic question of how are you. It physically pains me to say, “good, and how about yourself”
And I shorten my answer to the acceptable one, because what I really want to say at that moment would take up too much time from the sweet smiling lady who asks me that at the drive through because she asks the question out of habit.

When I am asked “How are you” I desperately wish I could respond with, “I often think.”
Because there is no doubt in my mind that the people I pass by every day who do not know me,
Often think.
And it is such a shame that we do not answer that question with what we are often thinking about.