Thursday, February 9, 2012

Things on Thursday: Email

This week's Thing on Thursday is email. Generally speaking, I love email. It brings me comments on my blogs, notes from friends, funny videos from GodTube, alerts that my son's lunch account is low, and messages from my honey when he's traveling. I can use email to send out family news, answer questions, ask questions, and connect with friends and family and blog readers in wonderful ways.

Yep, email is good.

Sometimes, though, emails make me sad, like the three unsubscribe notices I got within hours of yesterday's post going out in email. Ordinarily, these notices don't bother me. There are lots of reasons someone might unsubscribe from a blog, and many of them are not negative commentary on the blog's content. But a cluster like that coming so soon after a particularly lively post feels...weird.

I hope that the Busyness Syndrome post wasn't what made them flee. Recently, I've had several friends express their frustration at having a million obligations and the overwhelming feelings of inadequacy and guilt those obligations cause. As they've talked, I've empathized completely. Been there, done that.

The essay's intent was to encourage people to think about why they do what they do. Sometimes, life is just busy in rich and wonderful and natural ways. Sometimes, we bring busyness on ourselves in unhealthy ways, getting sucked into society's version of how we should live our lives rather than doing what works for us and our families. I sure have been sucked in over the years. Freeing myself from that was hard but oh so worth it.

Also, one person's busy is another person's bored. We all have different tolerance of busyness, and within our own range, we can be happy and healthy. I certainly don't presume to judge others' motives for their busyness. I just know I've had problems in this area and so have a number of people I know.

If I offended or hurt anyone with my post, I am sorry. It is my intent to get people laughing and thinking at the same time. Based on the post's comments, I succeeded with at least a few people and am glad the post touched them. Hopefully, the unsubscribers left for other reasons.

Anyway, today I'm celebrating email by contemplating its many good qualities...bringing distant friends and family closer, easing communication, giving us lots of laughs and entertainment. Oh how I love that ding my computer gives when there's new email!

How about you? What are your feelings relating to email? If you've ever been the victim of hacking or phishing or simply a mean email from someone you know, you've seen the seedy underbelly of email. But do the benefits outweigh the costs for you? Why or why not?

16 comments:

  1. Well, first, yesterday's post did not upset me at all, and I agree with you whole heartedly. Thank you for ALWAYS giving me something to think about, and for almost always giving me a daily giggle or two. Maybe you made someone realize that they spend too much time reading blogs...lol. As for email, the benefits do usually outweigh the costs. The one thing that does make me sad about email, is that we are no longer writing to each other. Nothing makes me happier than to find a recipe or note written by my mom, or grandmother, years after they've passed on. I think it's sad that our handwritten letters are going by the wayside. Of course, it seems that USPS loses more mail than it delivers these days, so maybe email really is better! Thanks again for a thought provoking post, dear friend. have a good day :)

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  2. I liked your post yesterday-it made me think abaout priorities. And I like email. At work, it means I don't get six digit phone numbers so that I can't return the call. It feels less naggy (word?) that voice mail. At home it brings me closer to friends.

    I always read your blog-some days I read it first to get a lift-other times I read it last like savoring a letter. It's special. And literate. And fun. Thanks for being there.

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  3. You have NO worries about offending, Susan!! In fact, I can't stand status quo people or those who are not willing to make a stand or a statement - drives me absolutely NUTS!!! Like a quote on Pinterest said "if you have never made anyone mad you have never taken a stand or had an opinion". Oh how true.

    Love when you share what you have learned and how you challenge us to look at our own lives in various areas. There is always something to learn and glean from things we read and sometimes we just don't want to be honest with ourselves. Loved your post - sorry I didn't comment crazy busy day.

    Great thoughts about busyness. The world has put busyness high on their list of what "success" is. I totally disagree. Being too busy means you can do nothing to it's full potential as you are stretched too thin. In my life it is usually a flag of needing approval from others rather than from the God who created me. Also a good reminder about boundaries. Nothing wrong with saying no because "good is the enemy of best" and if you are too busy, best is very rarely achieved and if it is achieved, it is at quite a cost to others and yourself.

    People have lost and/or avoided the important need of "being still". Being still can be very uncomfortable as it makes you look at yourself, your life, evaluate where you are at, make changes - all of which can be scarey things. And yet the fruit it produces is undeniable. I pass up opportunities and limit those my kids get involved in so we can spend time together as a family and create wonderful memories, things they will remember far longer and which will impact them much more deeply than being proud that their mommy was the head of the PTA. Not that any of that is a bad thing, but as you said, it is all about balance. Does it cost to pull back and achieve balance, yes. Is it worth it, YES!!!!!

    Sorry for the brain dump. Just wanted to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing (((hugs)))

    As for e-mail. Love it! Easy to shoot someone a note and not have to leave a message or forget to say something to someone the next time you see them etc. Love communicating with people from all over the world I would not have otherwise met and it is wonderfully quick. Impersonal, sometimes as nothing is better than a hand written note, so save those for birthday cards.

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  4. If I offended or hurt anyone with my post, I am sorry -- excuse me but there's always the opportunity to not read something; don't be hurt!!!! Just my .02 worth.

    Anyway, I love email in that I, too, can keep in touch with people I might not snail-mail and don't have to leave a message on the phone. I just type a message at 3:00 in the morning and they get it when they get up. HOWEVER, I know I spend way too much time on the machine. I've gotten hooked on Pinterest and pretty soon 45 min have passed. But I'm retired so I can afford to "waste" some time at my pleasure.

    Susan, keep up your good work. I so enjoy both your blogs that I read.

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  5. Your post yesterday really hit the nail on the head for me. I spend way too much time following blogs (mostly for my stamping addition) - but I will NOT be unfollowing you. Not only do you raise interesting questions, but you bring a smile many a time. And I love your CAS stamping!

    I really do need to do something about all this "lost" time following what other people are crafting and so having so little time to craft myself. I do need to be aware of what's available and happening in the stamping and scrapping world as I run a tiny business from home, and I can't know less than my customers, can I?.

    And I HAVE to email (facebook, skype) to stay in touch with my family and friends far and wide, as I'm on this dot in the Indian Ocean. It's my window to the world too. I think Thank goodness for internet.

    But Oh to find some balance so that I do not live my life through the screen!

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  6. Want I like about your blog is the mix of what you write about. The BS story is so true and the title at least made you take a look at it. I saw the humor in it.

    Love emails and always wonder what my life would be like if I had it 30 plus years ago. Of coures text messaging is how I found out about my X's affair and the whole mess I'm in now.

    I put my email right up there with my washing machine. Love them both.

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  7. E-mail. Mostly I love the way it allows near instantaneous communication and connection with people. I like getting special offers from my favorite shopping sites. BUT, I confess I also get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication of all varieties and the guilt I sometimes feel about not responding more promptly, which, I might add, has nothing to do with busyness and more to do with being in the right frame of mind to respond to a personal e-mail thoughtfully.

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  9. I loved your BS post, Susan! So very true. I have typed and signed a note to my husband that I will NOT sign up to be a room mom next year. I am tired of the drama, and my boys will enjoy seeing me at their parties and not know one way or another if I, or some other crazy lady orchestrates the party.
    I love reading your words of wisdom, even if I may not comment all of the time. I am here and listening! :)

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  10. First of all, don't take it personally. I had to unsubscribe to all the blogs I read only to resubscribe with my new email. Having a cluster of 3 at once may seem like it could be linked to the content of a post, but you will never really know their story, and to me, it's not worth the energy to try to figure it out. I enjoy both of your blogs, and it is obvious many others do too. Don't let a few unsubscribes get you down, and keep on doing what you've been doing!

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  11. I thoroughly enjoyed your post on BS yesterday! I used to be one of those people. The older I get, and I guess, as I've lost people dear to me...I've realized how short life can be. So, I'm choosing to do more of the things I enjoy...with the people I enjoy, instead of basing my decision on what others might expect (or think)I should be doing. It's very "freeing".
    There are a few people in my life that seem to have BS. So many times I hear them talking of being SO busy. Having no time for some of the things they enjoy.
    They don't seem to realize that they have choices. They've chosen to overload their lives. They can change that!
    Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox.

    Please keep writing posts that make us think, entertain us and make us smile (and giggle)!

    P.S. I, too, love that little "ding" that tells me I have new email!

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  12. Susan, I too love both your blogs and especially yesterdays on BS. Sent it to one of my daughters who answered back that you gave her also some things to think about. So thanks you from both of us. I also read all the comments so far and agree with them. Melissa said it great! Susan, you are a specially (is that a word?) gifted writer, as well as card maker and I look forward to seeing your blogs daily. Hugs.

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  13. Maybe all they saw was the title and thought it meant something else.....just saying......

    Personally, I adore your wit, envy your skill of stringing words together in such a way to make one giggle while learning a truth..and enjoy your style of cardmaking.
    Keep up the outstanding work!!
    Lu C

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  14. LOL, I just read Lu's comment, and I thought the same thing when I read BS, but then I thought, "Well, it fits". :-)
    I thank you, Susan, for always giving us something to think about. I think sometimes when a topic hits a bit close to home, some people don't want to hear about it. That may be what happened. Or it may have been coincidental timing. Personally, your topics often hit close to home with me, but I relish the opportunity to examine what I am thinking and doing. Thank-you!

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  15. I assume they unsubscribed because they were just taking your writing to heart and decided to quit reading blogs as a way to reduce their busyness. They loved your blog so much it contributed to their computer addiction and decided to declutter their lives. Now, I on the other hand...need to get rid of laundry, cleaning and other mundane tasks so I can concentrate on my blog reading.

    Hope that helps.

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  16. I wrote a comment on your BS post yesterday. More of a rant about how my DH retired, so I dropped activities to spend more time with him, but he added activities that he never had time for while working. It sounded whine-y, so I deleted it, but I totally agreed with your point.

    FYI, the first time I unsubscribed from a blog, I wrote the person a private email, telling her how much I had enjoyed her blog before she changed her interests from card making and tutorials to other crafts. I was trying to thank her. She took it the wrong way, and she wrote about it on her new blog -- how hurt she was that I said, "I no longer found anything interesting on her blog." Not what I wrote at all! So I never try to explain now.

    I doubt I will ever unsubscribe from your blogs because I love your CAS cards. your humor, and your thought-provoking posts, but sometimes I do leave other blogs for various reasons -- I have oversubscribed to blogs, my interests or the blogger's interests have changed, my mother was in the hospital and rehab for six months, I took on a big volunteer job, etc. I would not take it personally. I can't imagine anyone being offended by your posts.

    Email? It's a mixed blessing. I keep in closer touch with extended family and with old friends who were down to Christmas notes only, I know when my favorite blogs have new posts, and I get notices of sales and coupons without wasting paper and stamps. The downside is having to delete more than I read each day.

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Thanks so much for taking time to comment!