"Morning" vs. "Good Morning"

Since when did most folks (me included) start leaving the "Good" off of "Good Morning"?  When did it cease to be a wish for the other person to have a good morning and more of a declaration or acknowledgement of the time of day?  I passed a couple of people on my way into the building from the parking deck and we all mumbled a quick "Morning".  Of course, the fact that it was 6:15 and the wind chill was 16 may have been the cause.  It didn't seem much like a good morning at the time!  Then I noticed that I did it again when one of the guys walked in the front door of the office.  Called out "Morning!" before I even thought about it.  He replied, "Hello" which I found interesting for some strange reason.  But since I wasn't bestowing upon him a wish for anything - good or otherwise - but was just making a statement of fact (like he didn't know?), his greeting could have been counted the more civil of the two. 

So what does any of this matter?  Not a hill of beans, actually.  Why even bring it up?  Don't really know, except it struck me that it's probably a shift in our culture.  I mean, when you pass someone on the street, are you actually wishing that they have a good morning these days?  Most times, do we even say anything at all, though, really?  And actually (I  must like that word today), are we wishing them a good morning or just bragging about our day?  "Yes, I'm having a gooooood morning!  Don't you wish you were?"  One thing this little discourse has done, though, is it's made me think about what I say.  A much needed thing, I think!  How often do I say things without thinking?  Like when the cashier says, "Come back and see us" and you were expecting her to say "Have a nice day" and so you say, "You too" which makes no sense at all in light of what she said.  I'm not even talking about the things I say when I stick my foot in my mouth or hurt someone's feelings inadvertently by not thinking before I speak.  That's a whole 'nother story!

So maybe today, I'll be more conscious of the words that come out of my mouth.  Maybe today I'll pause before blurting out what first comes to mind.  Maybe I'll truly take time to actually wish someone a "Good Morning" and mean it.  Or maybe I won't - after all, it's early yet.  My intentions to have a good morning myself may be thwarted.  And I know that when you're having a bad day, it's awfully hard to be pleasant and greet someone with the wish that they have a better morning than you.  [OK, God just nudged my conscience.  Yes, Lord, I know it's hard, but not impossible.  Yes, that would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it?] 

So that's my unlofty goal for today:  to wish upon everyone I meet a good morning, no matter what my morning is looking like.  And who knows?  Maybe in wishing that on others, it will be reciprocated back to me tenfold.  Hey, I could get real ambitious and even say a prayer for the person I'm talking to!  Interesting concept, huh?

So...  good morning, O Reader of my blog!  May your morning be filled with unexpected blessings and may each moment be saturated with the loving presence of Our Heavenly Father!  [And if I happen to encounter one of you live and in person today, hold me accountable for my greeting please!  Call me on it if I slip up and just mumble, "Morning!", OK?]

{And on a totally unrelated note, did you notice that I started 4 of the 5 paragraphs in this post with the word "So"?  I'm sure you did, since you are a person of great distinction and discernment (after all, you're reading MY blog, aren't you?)  Well now, how tacky is that?  Are you even allowed to start a sentence with that word??  Hopefully none of my former English teachers are following my blog... I daresay they would be totally convinced that I slept through all of their classes...}