Fake

I have been fake. The kind of fake where I have to cover up that I have no idea what to do next. I have come into jobs not knowing what the hell I was doing and even started this blog not knowing what the hell I was doing.
Then there's other kinds of fakes. The fake "it's so good to see you" when you walk into a bar and see someone you have to play nice with but you really don't like, the fake hair, the fake compliments, the fake labels, the things we do to pretend we have money.
There's the fake that I learned at my job. The fake "I'm not going to scream in this meeting", the "my feeling are never hurt" cover up that we do on a daily basis. Which, I might add, is preferable in a business setting.
There's the "faking I'm a health nut" thing I did when I went out with an actual health nut. Hiding the Sour Patch Kids and Cheetos while pretending that in some insane way, bacon isn't nearly as good as fake bacon.
The fake food just kills me. Chocolate that's not chocolate. Bars that are a "meal". But is fake really bad, or is it good manners?
Tom C. told me about this book that says that American culture dictates that we fake being happy and peppy all the time.... that it's not ok to answer "how are you?" with "horrible, how about you?" I mean, I do it all the time but mostly to discourage strangers from talking to me.
With so many levels of fake to choose from, it's impossible to ignore it completely and finding the right combo isn't easy. Believe me, if you go too far into the world of fake, your friends will let you know.