awesome ...

I was talking with a friend last week and he said that he’s been talking like me … he’s saying ‘Awesome’ all the time … he says that’s my word … Awesome … I guess I use the word Awesome all the time … so much I don’t even notice it … I asked my wife, do I really say ‘awesome’ all the time? … she replied, “yep,” to which I replied, “awesome!” …

But what does Awesome really mean? … in my world, Awesome can mean so many things … in fact, it can get confusing, so here it goes …

Awesome means ‘that really sucks and I’m glad I’m not you!” … when someone shares with me that they’ve just been fired at work or they can’t pay rent or someone in their family is sick, I will say, “awesome” and hang my head low in empathy and understanding … try this sometime …

Awesome means ‘I don’t know what else to say’ … when it gets really awkward, either in a conversation or at the end of the Stirring 2nd gathering and I have no idea what to say, I will say, “awesome” and we smile and go our separate ways …

Awesome means ‘punch me in the neck and it’s not really awesome’ … when someone shares with me that they just got their girlfriend pregnant or that they are leaving the Stirring to go to a ‘real church’ or that they just robbed a bank, I will say ‘awesome’ and punch myself in the neck …

Awesome means ‘I’m not really listening but I want you to think I’m listening’ … sometimes I don’t listen well … I’m working on it … but in the meantime, when someone is telling me something really important and I’m tuning out, I will say “awesome,” which means I really love you but I’m having trouble listening right now … this one doesn’t work well with my wife, Erica …

Finally, Awesome means ‘awesome’ … when something is truly awesome, I will say, “awesome!” … what else would I say? …