“How are you?” is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't have an answer. The person who asks “How are you?” expects to hear the answer “Fine”, even if the person's friend isn't fine. The reason is that “How are you?” isn't really a question, and “Fine” isn't really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying “Hello” and “Hi”.

People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish conversations with other people. For example, many conversations over the phone end when one person says “I've got to go now”. Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse: “Someone's at the door”; “I’ve got to put the groceries（杂物）away.” “Something is burning on the stove（炉子）.” The excuse might be real, or it might not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn't want to talk any more, but it isn't very polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person's feeling.

Whether they are greeting each other or ending a conversation, people often don't say exactly what they are thinking. It is an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's all part of the game of languages.

Terri Bolton is a dab hand when it comes to DIY (do it yourself). Skilled at putting up shelves and piecing together furniture, she never pays someone else to do a job she can do herself.

She credits these skills to her late grandfather and builder Derck Lloyd. From the age of six, Terri, now 26, accompanied Derck to work during her school holidays. A day’s work was rewarded with £5 in pocket money. She says: “I’m sure I wasn’t much of a help to start with, painting the rooms and putting down the flooring throughout the house. It took weeks and it was backbreaking work, but I know he was proud of my skills.”

Terri, who now rents a house with friends in Wandsworth, South West London, says DIY also saves her from losing any deposit (存款) when a tenancy (租期) comes to an end. She adds: “I’ve moved house many times and I always like to personalise my room and put up pictures. So, it’s been useful to know how to cover up holes and repaint a room to avoid any charges when I’ve moved out.”

With millions of people likely to take on DIY projects over that coming weeks, new research shows that more than half of people are planning to make the most of the long, warm summer days to get jobs done. The average spend per project will be around £823. Two thirds of people aim to improve their comfort while at home. Two fifths wish to increase the value of their house. Though DIY has traditionally been seen as male hobby, the research shows it is women now leading the charge.

It’s said that you don’t know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. And you also don’t know what it’s like for older people to travel until you accompany one on a trip.

After flying with my elderly father from Washington, D.C. to L.A. in July, I began to realize that a companion has important tasks that can make a journey easier for older people. I booked non-stop tickets on JetBlue to avoid tiring, confusing connections, and we flew directly into small, manageable Long Beach Airport. Even though my father could walk, I arranged with the airline for wheelchair assistance, which meant we got on board first.

When I took him back to the airport for his return flight to Washington, I got permission from JetBlue to wait with him at the gate instead of saying goodbye at the security checkpoint. I wished he’d had a first-class seat and access to a comfortable airline club. Better yet, I wish I had flown with him both ways. As I watched the attendant wheel him to the lift that took him from the tarmac（飞机跑道）to the plane, I felt like an anxious mom sending her child to school for the first time.

Things can go awry on a plane trip. And then there is the horrifying story about Joe and Margie. When they landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a wheelchair attendant met them to help with a connection. But somehow Margie, who had Alzheimer’s disease, disappeared.

I didn’t need to worry about my father wandering away. At 82, his mind was sharper than mine. But his hearing was poor, so I worried about what would happen if he missed an important announcement. Fortunately, everything went just fine. Careful planning made the trip successful.

Next time I travel with a senior, I’ll know better. I hope there will be a next time.