Saturday, August 26, 2006

Take a Message

They say the art of the hand written letter is becoming lost, in large part due to the electronic world. I can't say if that's true or not, but if one were to judge the life force of letter-writing by my actions, let's just say we'd all be sharing sentimental stories of long-ago while nibbling finger sandwiches at the wake right about now.

It's not that I don't have anything to say, or that I don't like to write. But putting pen to paper means each word and phrase must be carefully considered, because once it's there, you're stuck with it. There is no ability to cut, paste, spell-check or delete without having to crumple up the whole thing and start over again. And let's face it: after two or three or twelve attempts, the whole notion of writing a letter becomes a lot less romantic and a lot more pain in the ass. Even nostalgia has its limits.

I'm so very grateful for my various electronic gadgets when it comes to communication. With TinyTuna gone this week, she has relied on every device she can put her hands on to keep in touch. We sent her off with GramTuna's cell phone, and ever since her plane took off, she has became one with Cingular's heavenly host. She often doesn't have anything particularly profound to say, but knowing TinyTuna, because she has possession of a cell phone (albeit temporary, because despite her constant haranguing, mean mom won't let her have one of her own) she's going to take every advantage of the opportunity.

Despite her many calls and messages, I can't say that I blame her. Everyone wants to feel connected, and to be able to send a quick I love you email, text message or instant message when you have a spare minute or two can make all the difference. The medium may be fast moving, but the sentiment isn't any less lasting.

Don't get me wrong; despite my love for all things electronic, I'm still a big fan of the notion of putting pen to paper. And although I'm certain that I would dissolve into a puddle of girlie tears if I got a hand-written letter, I wouldn't be any happier than I was tonight when I got a very unexpected text message on my phone that said, Hi, guess who has a cellphone again!

It was only seven words -- not terribly profound -- but it said so much. And when you think about it, the hows of a message makes no difference at all. What really matters is that it does arrive. Because everyone wants to feel connected.


Mensch71 said...

Let me set the record straight. When Ms. Tuna received said message of seven words, she giggled, squeaked and danced in her seat. Just in case you were wondering.

katiemac said...

see my blog for reference.
flowers had HAND written note.

and there was a puddle of where I used to stand.

looking forward to hearing all about it...