"Just fine" (circumlunar.space), 12/19/2019
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People ask me how I'm doing. I reply, "just fine." Sometimes
I say it with a grin, sometimes I say it with a downturned
voice, depending on my mood. Occasionally I'll use "just
great!" when I'm really doing well.

A year or two ago I encountered a gentleman who would 
respond "just alright." He'd sometimes sound happy about it, 
and sometimes he'd sound sad about it; like me with my "just
fine."

This little variation from what I was used to caused me to 
think, as all variations ought to. What did I mean, exactly,
when I said "just fine"? Did other people understand it to 
mean what I meant it to mean??

The thing about it is this: when he says (I still know him) 
"just alright," it hits my brain this way:

   just, adverb
   2a : by a very small margin : barely
   3a : only, simply

   alright (all right), slang
   all is right
   acceptable

Maybe it's his intonation, or the realities of what I know 
about him and his life, but what I hear is:

   "My life is barely acceptable"

But when I say "just fine" I generally mean:

   "I'm doing well"

What do you say, and what do you mean? What does "just fine" 
mean in your head when you hear it, or is it really entirely 
based on other factors (tone, attitude, mood, etc)?