Watcha doin ? How s come?
By PAT WICK
© Another Day in the Country
There are two favorite phrases that our buddy Tooltime Tim employs. When he calls on the telephone he often begins with, "Watcha doin'?" And after you answer regarding whatever is occupying your time at the moment, he'll say, "Well, how's come?"
That's when I hang up. Nah, I wouldn't really hang up.
It just so happens that "How's come?" was a phrase we learned NEVER to use in counseling practice so for sure it shouldn't be employed between friends. Or maybe it should! "Do we really want to talk about the how's come portion?" I ask.
"How's come you aren't doing anything interesting?" "How's come you want to just be entertained?" "How's come you're putting off tackling that project?" "How's come you are so annoyed when I say how's come?"
If Triple T would have called this morning and said, "Watcha doin'?" I'd have answered, "Trying to decide if I'm going to run for public office, that's what I'm doing." And, of course, his rejoinder would have been, "How's come?"
Let's see was this, "How's come I'm trying to decide?" There would be a grunt on the other end of the line which I then would take for something affirmative.
Or maybe it's "I'm trying to figure out if it would make a difference to the town if it were me or any other person filling the seat." Silence, as I take a breath.
For sure it's, "I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to make the experience positive, creative — even fun." There's a small rustling in the background as my listener would adjust his position for the long haul.
"I'm wondering why anyone would do the job if all the aforementioned was NOT true?" There's a little intake of breath on the other end of the line as TTT takes in the breadth of the word aforementioned. "I want to see progress!" I assert.
"I'm uncomfortable with negativity, I'm gaining momentum, and this seems to be what I hear most in public office
"How's come?" says the quiet voice at the other end of the line.
"Because we don't want to make people angry," I snap, anger sharpening my tone.
And in that moment I suddenly am aware of all the people who sit on county commissions or in the legislature, who hold public office year after year and make those tough decisions. I've paid no attention to their struggle. I've even sometimes been the person sitting in front of county commission begging for more. "Fix our roads," I've pleaded, "Don't say 'no' to my town." And while they don't want to disappoint me, they are charged with the enormous task of doing the right thing for the whole county.
Truth is, "how's come?" is exactly what I need to figure out — it's what we all need to figure out in life — the how's come, the motive, the reason, the intent. If we don't know the "how's come," then we are robbed of the reward.
Well, it's another day in the country and I just threw my hat into the ring. When I registered at the county courthouse yesterday, the lady behind the desk said, "What's happening in Ramona? There's a lot of activity here on my books — lots of people willing to serve their community." Now I'd say that's progress!
