A glance through my last couple of weeks' email dispels - at least for me - the widely held concept that email has depersonalized communication, harshened our tone, and further isolated us from one another. Oh, sure, "you've got mail" on your screen is not the same as a perfumed note with dried violets inside (but how often did you ever get such a thing even in the "good old days" of snail mail?)
In my email, here are just a few happy examples received in just in the last few weeks:
From one high school friend to another, copied to a whole group of us scattered around the world, solace upon his losing a much-loved job (this was accompanied by an excellent essay on why and how he should consider self-employment):
To quote David Brown, "the rest of your life is the best of your life".
A coworker from 25 years ago connected with me through email and shared these thoughts on children - his range from adults to a toddler, so he certainly knows:
When you have kids you get to watch how nature and nurture interact to make a whole person with his or her own quirks, strengths, weaknesses and, of course, with everything that makes us all human together.
And from a member of my book group, a heartfelt sentiment about middle age:
I can't remember s**t these days.
I hear from someone in my family, or an old and new friend, nearly every day in part because no one needs a stamp to get in touch. And because email is easy and quick. That's fine. Their emails feel to me as personal and wonderful as any note or card in the mailbox, plus simpler for the sender to accomplish than a phone call when time is short or schedules are odd. Email me anytime.
In my email last week:
ReplyDelete"These are such times... that if I could rethink everything, I WOULD rethink everything and simplify life.
Come to think of it - I CAN do that, can't I?"
It was a message that made me laugh then made me think!