Greetings
How do you respond to “Have a good one”?
Seriously, what’s the correct, and quick, thing to say? People here are aggressively friendly, holding the elevator door open and asking “Which floor” and pressing the button for me? Uff. Everyone thanks everyone for everything. It’s sweet, and I want to match that energy.
So when the bus driver says “Have a good one” as I’m stepping off, what do I do? I recognise you, kind driver sir, your words make me feel amazing. I want to respond, but I’m stepping into a blast of cold wind, people are waiting to get on, people behind me want to get off. I can’t turn around and say something - something I haven’t figured out yet - because hurry up!
Do I raise my hand and give you a thumbs-up? Super-sign? Yo sign? Is that gang signs, therefore disrespectful? Do I grunt “Uh huh”? That sounds dismissive. Do I say “Thanks”? But then I just received all the good vibes and didn’t give back any! This transaction is not complete, I have accumulated a lot of goodwill that I need to distribute.
Even without the time crunch, how do you respond to “Have a good one”? “You too” is fine I guess, but comes off as an afterthought. “I love you”, “I love you too”. Eh. I need something with more oomph. I need to make that other person feel as lovely as I feel. This lady here is dishing out so many “Have a good one”s, she deserves something worth at least a few good ones, right? I am thinking I will maintain a smile and strong eye contact and say “You have a good one as well”. Or, or, “And a lovely morning to you”.
Too many words, too long a sentence. I don’t think I can pull that off.
As a fail-safe I have resorted to pre-empting them. Now I say “Thanks”, or “Good morning” first. And then their “Have a good one” becomes a response to me! Haha. It’s a solution but is not ideal.
Seriously though, I need response phrases that are going to leave the other person feeling like I feel - all warm and smily. Help me out here.
Have a good one.