Don't Ask Me to Say Hello or Give a Hug

Say Hello To Bob For Me!

Have you ever noticed that when people depart in a restaurant or public place invariably someone will utter, “Say hello to Julie for me”. Or of course there will be some other name used. In some instances, a person will say, “Give Alice a hug for me.” Now my question is – how many of these instructions are actually carried out! I don’t know about you but I suspect in many instances when someone issues such a directive, the person receiving the dictum fails to deliver the “hello” or the “hug”.

It’s a natural instinct that we offer a “hello” or a “hug” but chances are the designated recipient never receives the greeting or the embrace. Now for me being the politically incorrect person I am, when I receive an instruction from someone exhorting me to deliver a message I usually respond by saying, “Do I look like a messenger?” It generally gets a look of disbelief but often a laugh. But it’s my way of saying, “Hey, I’m not the Pony Express. Handle your own message.”

Now I know this sounds discourteous on my part but as a lifelong curmudgeon I like finding a way to disrupt the social mores of people and most of the time it works!

There’s another instance where someone will provide us with a directive when we are going to a restaurant, a store, a hotel, or just making a purchase. Often times a friend or associate when learning we are doing just that will say, “Ask for George and tell him I sent you”. That evidently will provide a better price or excellent service but what if George doesn’t really remember your friend or if there was a dispute with George that now renders him in an ornery person and thus your service or price will not be exemplary.

This suggestion is often also provided by people on the radio who are selling a particular product. In many instances, the radio jock will say, “Tell Pat I sent you”. I heard this just the other day from a local sports jock as he was advertising a car dealership. Let me ask you this. Do we really think that using the name of a person on the radio who is hawking a product will actually get us a deal? Pardon me for being skeptical but I think not.

So here is my take on all this. If you see me in public I will not be telling you to provide a “hello” or a “hug” for your spouse or any of your children. And if you instruct me to do likewise for any of my family members, that message will not be delivered. And if anyone suggests I look up a certain person at a store I will be cautious.

Now time to go and submit this column to Beth Dalbey, Oakland County – Lake Orion Patch editor. By the way Beth – tell the advertising staff I said hello!

Image credit: lostintheredwoods via Flickr / Creative Commons