Have You Ever Asked God, “How Are You?”

We’re all busy.

Like, universally busy.

The kind of busy where even replying “busy” feels like too much work.

We scroll, complain, compare, multitask, eat, and crash, all while proudly carrying the title of “I’m just swamped.” Gratitude? Oh, that’s on our to-do list… right after we “finally get some time.”

Let’s be honest, we treat gratitude like dessert.

It’s something we’ll get to if everything else goes right, no deadlines, no drama, no traffic, no boss breathing down our neck. Then, maybe, maybe, we’ll whisper a polite “thanks” to someone.

But have we ever paused to thank the things that actually keep us alive?

Like nature.

The sun that wakes us up. The air that doesn’t send us a bill. The rain that waters our food before we even cook it.

When was the last time you said, “Thank you, Nature. You’re doing a solid job”?

And here’s a fun twist, if you’re a religious person, have you ever asked God,

“Hey, how are you?”

No, really. We’ve mastered the art of the bargain prayer.

“If you get me this job, I’ll offer my first salary.”

“If you help me pass, I’ll shave my head.”

“If you just let this meeting end early, I’ll break two coconuts.”

We talk to God like a negotiator in a hostage crime thriller movie. But never like a friend or a guardian.

Meanwhile, look at animals, yes, those supposedly “less evolved” beings.

Gratitude, care, and love come naturally to them. A dog wags its tail when you just look at it. Birds sing every morning like they just hit a food reservoir. Even a cow seems more at peace with life than most of us on a Monday morning traffic.

Humans? We save our kindness for when there’s nothing else left to do.

When we’ve finished gossiping, complaining, and scrolling through everyone else’s “perfect” lives, we might, might, remember to feel grateful.

Maybe it’s time we flipped that order.

Maybe it’s time gratitude came first, not last.

Maybe we should become the generation that teaches kids that saying “thank you” isn’t a formality, it’s a lifestyle.

So next time you wake up, try something radical.

Look at the morning sky, the trees, the people around you, even that vegetable seller who shouts ‘tomato, aloogadde, eerulli’, and say, “Thanks.”

And if you’re feeling brave, maybe even ask,

“Hey God, how are you doing today?”

You never know, He might just smile back.

न देवा दण्डमादाय रक्षन्ति पशुपालवत्।

यं हि रक्षितुमिच्छन्ति बुद्ध्या संयोजयन्ति तम्॥

Na devā daṇḍamādāya rakṣanti paśupālavāt,

Yaṃ hi rakṣitum icchanti buddhyā saṃyojayanti tam.

“The gods do not protect like shepherds with a stick;

Those whom they wish to protect, they bless with wisdom.”

— Chanakya Nīti