questions and meanings

A friend of mine asked about my feelings.  I had to respond by giving a long warning, but acknowledgement I was willing to share it with them.

It made me think about it:What do people mean when they ask,"How are you feeling?"

Physically?  well, that's simple and straightforward, and thanks for inquiring about my health.

Mentally?  I don't know about other people, but I really don't feel "cognitively", so I don't know how to answer this.  I suppose it could mean,"What's your state of mind?" But I wish people would just ask that if they really want to know.  I mean, have you ever answered the feeling question with,"Angst ridden"  "Guilty"  "Ashamed" or anything like that?  I promise you'll get an odd look and be able to chuckle as the person tries to flee.

Emotionally?  Maybe some people can reasonably answer this with honesty.  See, my emotions are all put into a vault, with a small drain to let them ooze out slowly in ways that I can hopefully deal with them reasonably.  Thus, the most honest answer for me is: I don't really know.

I don't think anyone REALLY wants anything deeper than this.  It's dark in here, and I try not to look around too much.

If you think you really want to know, and you're my friend, I will tell you.  I just hope you're still my friend by the time it's all out there.