I’m always honest, fuck pretense. If they’ve asked, they’ll get an appropriate response. If they maintain eye contact ..they can read me … as I melt into a smile that asks if they really want to know. I’ll keep it brief, no need to bring anyone down. And the same if everything’s rosy, no reason to provoke envy.. Good question ~

I tell people I'm "as mean as ever." Nobody wants the truth when they ask "How are you?"

people i know... how well? i tell my friends how i feel. a neighbor, maybe not so much. a shop clerk, nope.

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If it's someone I know well and trust, I'll tell them. If it's someone I don't know well or don't trust as much, I'll just say something like, "I have my good days and my bad days, but I'm managing." If I don't know them at all, I try not to get into conversations like that, or I might just say, "I'm good" and leave it at that.