Hey, Bud! July 30th

I didn’t always use the now common “hey” as a greeting. I was more of a “hi” kind of girl. Then I went to college in the South and they were all, “Wull haaaay!” So without realizing it I morphed. (I guess hay was no longer for horses?) I never really picked up the drawl, but I do “ya’ll” from time to time to make a point.

When I moved back to New York after graduation, I hung with a crowd that was sometimes an “ay-o!” so my “hey” went dormant for a time while I substituted “oh-ay!” as a reply– yes it came with a big hand gesture and raised shoulders. Then there was that “yo yo yo” phase which made me sound seriously ridiculous. I went through a temporary “hola” stint too, but I couldn’t pull it off. This is until “hiya” came along and rescued me. I’ve stuck with that one since.

My son Matty is more of a “s’up” or an “ay” mumbled and accompanied by a simultaneous fast chin throw, or no actual words except a peace sign at ya, which is typical of his generation. My Dad favors “howdy.” But I know lots of people that have dramatic substitutions for what we’d all call regular greetings. I worked with a guy who never said hi but acknowledged everyone with a nod and then called them “Young Lady” or “Young Man,” regardless of their age. A funny friend of mine greets his friends by saying, “Hello, Ladies,” especially if he’s joining mixed company, but his typical one on one hello is usually, “Hey, Bud.”

My Mom likes to say, “Ladies and Germs” when greeting women and men. My Grandfather used to say, “Hello, Gorgeous!” to all of his daughters and both me and my sister, but I later learned that as he got older he had trouble with all of our names! What a lovely substitution. The guy I dated in college called everyone “Pal” so his pledge name was of course “Hi, Pal,” but everyone called him “Pal” for short. I sometimes give “hiya” a reprieve and use “aloha” during the summer– I know, drastic change for me.

Someone I know in the industry greets everyone at a cocktail party with an overly enthusiastic, “Look who it is!” (I bet you know this guy. Everyone knows a guy like this) He does make you feel special momentarily, until you realize that he does that with everyone every time! Then there is an overly friendly chap who furiously shakes your hand with the “Hi, hi, how ahh yah, good to see yah,” schtick. He never even makes eye contact, but he certainly gives your hand a lot of attention.

There was one woman I used to work with who barely smiled and certainly never showed her teeth. If you were foolish enough to show her more than a slight grin in the hallway, you were met with blank indifference. So of course I was overly nice to her– I do hate a “frowny face” as my son Matty would have called it.

I love to dine with people older than me because when the server comes to take our order, I’m happy to say, “My younger sister would like… or my baby brother will be having…” and they always laugh. It’s so easy to make people smile with a few simple words. So the next time you’re saying hello, try to make someone’s day, ok, Bud?