I ran into a friendly acquaintance last week.

He greeted me warmly: “Hey! What’s new?”

“Nothing much.”

Smiling, he said, “Come on, man. Give me something.”

So I answered honestly, and a great conversation followed.

* * *

The interaction was memorable and it reminded me: some people ask questions with intention. When they say, “How are you?” or “What’s going on?” ... they actually want to know.

I’m grateful to have such friends, and it’s the friend I try to be.