The Most Important Question You May Overlook, Our First Survey

Life is in the little moments so it’s great when they offer up pleasant surprises. Here’s one that caught my attention.   

It all started with my daily walks. I’ve been walking each morning in recent months and have been delighted by the interactions with those I meet along the way.

As I stroll briskly up and down neighboring streets for almost 90 minutes each day, I find myself enjoying regular encounters with others as we say “hello” in passing. But what I found interesting is that some people offer more than the “hello.” They ask, “How are you?”

OK, maybe that alone isn’t interesting. What I realized after, however, really got me thinking. My habit had been to say, “Hello,” then reply, “I’m fine” and “thank you,” and move on. But as I thought about it, I realized I’m not reciprocating the courtesy. When you’re given the gift of the inquiry it’s polite to respond and then give it back!

So, more often these days I return with the same question. What I’ve discovered is that most of the time, when asked “how are you,” people stop and consider. In fact, they frequently exhibit pleasure in being asked.

And yet, we usually think of “how are you” as a throwaway remark. But the question is quite powerful if you take a minute to give it some thought.

When was the last time you seriously assessed how you are?

Of course, you won’t likely provide a stranger with an in-depth response, but if you give yourself the courtesy to look at a given moment of time through this lens, maybe you can spot something interesting.

Once I realized the impact of asking strangers how they are, I decided to make it a practice for myself and for others more often. That means extending the question to those closer to me as well.

So, to you, I ask: how are you?

You’d do us a great favor to let us know your opinions and “how you are” through this brief, four-question survey. It simultaneously gives you a moment to breathe and offers me more insights in what kinds of ideas, content and products to provide you.

Your feedback and time are valuable, so I’ll sweeten the ask by entering your name for a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate.

 The Storied Gifts Survey will be open from the time of this posting and end at midnight on Tuesday, September 28. Thanks much in advance for letting us know what you think!

We've been found! I'm elated to report that Storied Gifts  Shop has had purchases of our history hero cutouts. We've got three so far but look for more!