You Had Me at 'Hello'

I happened to overhear the greeting between My Son and His Girlfriend upon her return from work Friday evening ...

It was simple. It was happy. It was genuine.

The happy, upbeat lilt to their voices as each of them said hello to the other. "Hi!!", with enthusiasm. "Hello! How are ya?" in a joy filled response.

I hear the tones of their voices as they come and go, make a meal or simply sit at the table and have coffee. I don't hear the words. I simply hear their tone.

They laugh together. They enjoy each other's company. There is a quiet companionship between them that goes beyond the words they speak.

Words have the ability to cut like a knife. But is it just the words? When I hear the joy in their voices at their simple greeting, I can't help but think of the way the word 'hello' falls off my tongue when I meet and greet the people I take for granted in my life. Often the word is not even uttered. If it is, it is spoken as a perfunctory word out of obligation with little regard to how the person on the other end of the word will hear it.

When a person can take a word as simple as 'hello' and turn it into a paragraph full of meaning and joy ... little more is required. And it is a most excellent way to begin a conversation.

I went to see the movie "Hope Springs" last night. A movie about a couple that has been married for 31 years and how complacent they have become with each other over the course of time (and the accumulation of small things that become more-than-they-are, when they all add up). I couldn't help but think of the simple 'hello' exchanged between My Son and His Girlfriend ... they have it right. I hope they hold onto the simple courtesies as years grow into decades.

"You had me at hello" ~ Jerry Maguire. They said it all in those few words.