My So-so Day

How are you feeling, my friend asked me today.
“So-so,” I said, meaning, well I guess I’m okay.
Only so-so? My friend teased with a smile.
“Well, yeah,” said I, “but for me that’s a mile
Better than poorly and way better than glum.”

But so-so’s the best you can muster on a scale one to ten?
And you’ll feel better some day but you can’t say when?
“ ‘S’okay,” said I, “ ’cause sometimes my simple so-so
Is practically great compared, I’ll have you know.”

You’re so adorable, he said with a laugh.
“Now you’re just teasing,” said I, “and that is a gaff,
’Cause so-so or okay are way better than damnable,
And the good will that goes with it is downright cashable.”

So lend me a portion of that, my friend said in earnest.
“You’ll find that it pays with considerable interest,”
Said I with a smile and skipped off with a wave;
The good will I had bought was something to save.

Well I met him again and he said with a wave
Good day to ya my friend, how are you today?
I said “well I’m having a good day, I’ve had a good shave,
But my prospects I’m afraid are just so-so today.”

Well he said some kind words and patted my back,
And he bought me a pint and I felt like a man
’Cause he treated me quite like a person
And I knew on that day that my so-so never would worsen.

Well my friend gave me a hearty old-fashioned guffaw
And he slapped me on the  back and gave me a hug,
And agreed that my so-so wasn’t that damnable–
And he accepted my so-so as happiness graspable.

♥   We all get those so-so days, and in the world of Alzheimer’s, that’s okay. And that’s when a friend is a friend and a kind word and a hug are precious cargo. That, we can bear. Same goes outside the world of Alzheimer’s. After all, kindness is better than cruelty any time.

And we all should beware of unintended cruelty–This piece was prompted by an entry in myalzteam support group.

The lady was having a so-so day. And since so-so, and okay have been my constant companions — and were frequently challenged — I began to scribble. This is the outcome.

Picture Credit: from Missouri History Museum:  https://www.pinterest.com/mohistorymuseum/