F.I.N.E.

Before posting yesterday I showed That Boy, my post. After reading it he reminded me of something we have talked about before, something he heard at a men's conference (though honestly, it applies to everyone). Instead of adding it to yesterday's post, I decided it should be its own short post.
At this conference he was introduced to the acronym fine:

Feelings I'm Not Expressing

I didn't realize how accurate this is until I reflected on my own life and any time that I've said fine. And what do you know, every time there is something I'm hiding, something I'm not saying when I say fine. Occasionally I'm underplaying how excited I am over something but more often than not I'm trying to hide a negative feeling. These feelings being anger, sadness, annoyance, tiredness, you name it.

I get the feeling I'm not alone in this usage of fine. I know that between That Boy and I, we had decided to try and stop saying fine and say something else that expresses how we feel. It is not easy. Fine is a safe word for many people because often times when fine is said people don't want to express those feelings.

Maybe not everyone you meet needs your life story but for those close to you who truly matter, they deserve more than just fine. It's important to have someone in your life that you can express exactly how you feel. So maybe instead of saying fine, today we should try saying how we feel.