Wow!

A different way to start a conversation

As I picked up the phone, all I could hear was my friend say “Wow!” on the other end. Being the lovable smart-ass that I am, I responded, “I would have responded to just hi, but I will certainly take wow. I now prefer it.”

It turns out that the wow wasn’t because my friend was so excited for our conversation but instead had just seen a firework go off near her house. It was a nice start, though.

After the phone call, I got to thinking. Can the way we start a conversation affect the tone for the rest of it? I believe so. I had a friend several years back who, whenever I would call her, would pick up the phone in a state of agitation, as if I had bothered her. Though she would change her tone relatively quickly, it made me, the other participant, already feel like I was walking on eggshells. It started off the conversation on unequal footing and so the rest of the conversation was playing emotional catch-up from the word go.

On the other hand, my “wow” friend has never answered one of our phone calls with anything less than an emphatic “how are you?!” Though I cannot see her, I almost picture her answering with a smile. Truth be told, I answer her phone calls with a smile as well.

And though the “wow” was not planned, she is a wow friend. The kind of loyal friend you don’t have to worry about sticking around if you have tough times. The type of supportive friend who may not be going through the same medical issue as you, but will still read up on it and send…