Wow! The thoughts that come to my mind are many so here
we go. This may include communication at
its best … sort of. Please, please begin
with a good pen which is of course for me is a fountain pen. Nothing is better even now than a handwritten
note filled with sincerity and kindness which also coincides with another
national day for today “National Say Something Nice Day”. Oops, I am off topic.
I remember sending pen pal letters as a young girl back
in high school. They were each in
various military branches of service from a list found at church or a magazine
from church. I understand that the
parents, probably a mother, submitted the names to whatever publication I used
back in the 60s. It was at the height of the Viet Nam war so one can easily understand
the importance of mail and hearing from someone “at home” in the states.
I did not really expect a response but wanted each of
them to know that someone was thinking about them, praying for them, and
praying for their safe return. I wrote a
letter every couple of weeks to two different people; one soldier and one
sailor. The names changed but for the
most part the letters were about the same.
It was important these guys received something from someone so that they
knew that they were not forgotten. Shame
on me for not continuing the practice with the same dedication after graduation.
Now we have many more options available to reach those we
know and countless others in computer la-la land: text, email, Tweets,
Facebook, LinkedIn for business, and my personal favorite of blogging.
You may reserve your most private thoughts for your
journal (the 21st century diary) but sharing with others is so
valuable. Someone could benefit from the
sharing of ones thoughts like the pen pal from times past. The Internet may be an unregulated industry
but it has an inherent value in communication for each of us.
That old expression “all things in moderation” certainly
applies to current media outlets.
Another expression that seems appropriate here is “exercise caution”. This certainly applies to privacy issues and
the relinquishing of same through its use with theft of our thoughts, expressions,
and even photos. Unlike “snail mail” the
recipient and response cannot be controlled to the same extent. “Return to Sender” takes on an all new
meaning, dynamic, and dimension. What
you say can be used against you and be evidenced as proof.
To say that we are leaving footprints is an
understatement. Tread lightly.
