Saying “Hi!” Can Make Someone’s Day

From Mia Cope

We’ve had some late nights around here lately. No real problems, to speak of. Unless you see it from my perspective and know how important a good, solid routine is.

In addition to my responsibilities as General Manager and Chief Security Officer at Casa de Togo, I am also the Chief Morale Officer.¹ That means that I have to constantly check to see how folks are doing.

Momma and Daddy are in good spirits most of the time. That goes back to the good, solid routine I mentioned earlier. I’ve found that if I can keep the two of them within reasonable bounds of routine-ness, we all feel better. Every night after dinner, it is common for all three of us to gather in the living room for a little television-watching.²

Occasionally, they will watch a movie. Mostly, they watch shows where you have to pay attention. And since they do this toward the end of the day, one or both of them tend to get a little sleepy. I’m totally in favor of a quick nap. Unfortunately, that means that they don’t always see vital moments in the show. That leads to the inevitable conversation:

“Who’s that woman?”

“”What woman?”

“The one right there. When did she show up and what is she doing?”

“About 30 minutes ago. I think that she is the secret agent who’s been stealing government secrets.³ Haven’t you been watching?”

“I must have dozed off for a while.”

That’s when I know I need to intervene and I spring into action. My proven technique for restoring order is to sneak up beside the couch and pop-up next to whoever is sleepiest and say “Hi!” Like this.

My signature move is a crowd-pleaser — even if it can be somewhat startling.

I can tell that the recipient of my sudden greeting is always appreciative. And in the best of instances, reward me with lots of pats and belly-rubs. Win-win.

This particular behavior of mine is almost identical to when I drop by to let someone know that I need to go outside and take care of some business. So while I enjoy the pats and belly-rubs, I have to keep repeating until they get the point. Like this.

Notice the general display of discomfort that has entered my facial features. It’s all pretty subtle.

But even when my “Hi’s” have hidden meaning, I know that they’re important. In fact, Momma and Daddy seem to be particularly pleased when I let them know that it’s time for business.

I don’t know who in your life you need to manage. Just remember that you can never say “Hi!” too often.

1. Note: “Morale” and not “moral.” I think Daddy might be the Chief Moral Officer. But sometimes it’s hard to tell unless you maintain 24-hour surveillance on him.

2. To be totally honest, I don’t share Momma and Daddy’s taste in television programming. I like Steve Harvey’s and “Family Feud,” but I’m not a big fan of anything with an intricate plot.

3. These tend to be older shows since the writers obviously don’t know that government secrets are readily available on the Signal messaging app.