Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
You might think that all our technology and e-communication would squash that sentiment. I mean, when there is no more pen to paper but only fingers to keyboard, how can you possibly be as sincere and meaningful?
I’ll tell you.
Email.
For all the letters I have from my mom or sisters or old boyfriends, I have an equal amount of printed out emails.
There is the one from my sister explaining the end of a relationship and how it was affecting her.
There are some back and forths with my brother that may take the average Joe some reading between the lines to find the sentiment but not me. I get him and his written style.
There is the one that simpley says, “I’m proud of you” that means more to me than the sender may ever know.
There are kind emails from students and from parents of students thanking me for a job well done.
There are emails of feedback from blog readers because a post touched them enough that a simple comment wouldn’t do.
There are funny emails and serious emails and silly strings of email among family and friends that I keep just to look back on to lighten any mood.
I’d even venture to guess my folder of printed out warm and fuzzies is more full than it would be if there were no email.
It’s easier to share your heart via laptop than it is with paper and pen. There is a freeing quality to email that allows people to say what they mean without over-thinking it and throwing it away before it’s ever sent.
This can backfire. I’m sure many a boss or ex-lover or friend has been on the wrong end of an impulsive email, but I’m thrilled to report my inbox is full of nothing but love and I’ll take it however it comes.
