My friend L. came to town last month. She and I laughed, ate lots of Indian food, and talked about old friends. A truly great visit. Somewhere in the evening, she said, "I've become a big fan of the quick note. No more long letters. Friends want to get a quick note."
I like the sound of that. I often get stuck thinking I need to write the grand epistle, especially when I have been out of touch for a while. But that might not be true. The quick note
may be better- it's short, snappy, and lets the recipient know you are thinking of her/him, but it eases the pressure on the writer. No need for nuggets of pith in a quick note. Hit and run.
This week I started playing chess online with a friend in San Fransisco. Every time P. and I make a play, a small message box invites us to send a short message along with the next move. Sure, there was some trash talking in a few boxes; I may have even typed the phrase "I just spanked your pawn," (nerdly, I know), but I've also gotten nice snapshots of his day-to-day. I know on Thursday he was waiting for his daughter to wake up, on Friday he was looking forward to demolishing some walls with a big hammer, and yesterday it was late and time to go to sleep. And I've told him about how I was getting the silent treatment from my beau, how my summer school classes are going, and how I just spanked his pawn. It's been nice to feel so close; we've talked more in those 'moves' than we had in months.
Maybe the women in Austen novels had the right idea, writing little letters daily that footmen would deliver across town to their friends. I don't have a footman, but the Internet is letting me send my own little notes out.
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