How are you?

"Hi, I'm Jane. I'll be taking your blood today," she said with a polite smile. "How are you?"

I didn't know what to say. The normal response is, "Fine, thanks," even if you aren't fine. It is the politest of platitudes. But I wasn't fine. Not even close. And I was tired of saying I was.

So I honestly replied, "It has been a terrible day," with a sad smile and a shoulder shrug.

She didn't miss a beat. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said with a sympathetic smile as she prepared the needle to take my blood.

It has actually been a terrible year, a miserably bad year. I dream of checking my day calendar and finding a SKIP page, like from Uno, that will allow me to just skip the day, skip the month, or even skip the year. Because at this point, I would be tempted to slap that skip down and celebrate. Played!

It has actually been a terrible year, a miserably bad year. Packed with leaving a job, staying in the hospital to support a family member, packing up a family member to move into assisted care, dealing with Medicaid, losing a friend, being sick, needing to pay medical bills, needing surgery…

The most recent difficult moment – my aunt passed away last night. The one who did my hair for me when I was a kid. The one who always had a story to tell. The one who could make anyone laugh within five minutes of meeting her.

"Alright, all done," Jane said.

"That was fast," I remarked.

"I hope it makes your day a little better," she said with a smile.

With a smile, I remembered the appropriate response (better late than never) and simply said, "Thanks."