Elmo casually checked in on people and the responses are a reflection of the times

Having a friend or a loved one to check on us can help us through some challenging spells in life. After all, our inner child needs a shoulder to cry on no matter how old we grow up. Just a simple question of "How are you doing?" might be enough to unravel the truth behind someone who puts on a strong facade. Recently, a bout of moping over existential crises took over social media when the Sesame Street muppet, Elmo (@elmo), checked up on his followers on X (previously Twitter). The responses were both amusing and distressing as people reflected on the reality of adulthood.

On January 29, Elmo tweeted, asking, "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" which has been viewed by nearly 190 million users so far. The comments section was flooded with over 16k responses, most of which were people venting to their new-found therapist, Elmo, over the sob story that is life. Mind you, the sarcastic responses are an absolute laugh riot but at the same time so impactful that initially, we would have a wide grin on our face reading the comments, but then it would instantly change to a gloomy pout when we realize that they mirror today's reality. 

"Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life" wrote @ContrarianGuild and added, "In the grand scheme of the universe, our existence is merely a blink, devoid of inherent meaning or purpose. We are fleeting shadows in an indifferent cosmos." @VROnTheWeb wrote, "It's been a tough time since we left the street and entered the workforce, Elmo." @BowTiedThinker commented, I lost my job and had to sell my home. My monthly health insurance premiums have gone up 30%. My electric bill has gone up 400%. My grocery bill has gone up 500%, But I can recite my ABCs and count to 7 in Spanish. So, it's not all bad, Elmo."

Some were so keen on comically depicting how Elmo would be reacting to all these overwhelming replies. "Based on the replies we won't be hearing from Elmo for a while," commented @mybabyboosh. Elmo also received some grateful messages for checking up on people. "Elmo, thank you for checking in on your friends. The world is a bit tough at the moment. Lack of services people need. The economy isn't great for everyone. Multiple wars. But you have brought us much childhood joy we needed. Thank you. May we all become a little bit more like you," wrote @CardonaLebron. 

Elmo was probably overwhelmed in just a day by the thousands of responses, but he was happy that he could be there for his followers. In a follow-up tweet, Elmo posted a cute picture of him and wrote, "Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you," with the hashtag '#EmotionalWellBeing' spoke volumes. What was intended to be a casual check-in tweet turned out to be a whirlwind of emotions. It's an eye-opener to check on our near and dear ones' emotional well-being.