Dearest Mr. Darcy...

I received a hand written thank you note in the mail this week.  The precious little card was punctuated with graphic white polka dots on a black background, a small pink box in the center with my friends name emblazoned on it.  It reminded me so much of my spunky yet timeless and classy friend who took the time to send it.  I opened it.  Read the words. Smiled.  Sniffed back a tear.  Smiled again.  It was a kind thank you for the planning and preparation I had put into our recent girls weekend away.  It was mushy. It was sappy.  It was everything I love wrapped up in a 3x5 note card.  Had there been a chocolate truffle inside I would have called it utter perfection.  My 'love language' is Acts of Service so when someone appreciates my acts I feel like I am giving the best I have to give.  I feel love.

It got me thinking about one of my favorite movies: Pride and Prejudice.  The way they wrote elegant letters back and forth.  It was their most used form of communication.  So gentile. Proper.  Yet passionate and expressive.  I could just sit and  listen to the words be read time and time and time again.  I must preface this by saying I am wretched at sending thank you notes.  I buy many of them to send. I write them out. I even address them.  It's the stamps.  Argggggghhhhhhh, the lack of stamps.  I never have any on hand and when I finally get some the notes are lost in a pile.  I try. I swear.  I need to get better at it.  I think it is important.

I am however good at communicating through the computer.  I think that Social Media is a fascinating area of study.  Were I still in college it would have been a concentration in my Communications quest.  I love to see how people feel comfortable reaching out to one another.  I personally love email, Facebook, IM, BBM things that make communication instant and yet non-intrusive.  A person can read your message or query then choose to reply immediately or when it is convenient for them. They can also ignore you all together, which is near impossible to do on a phone call or face to face.  It has removed some of the feeling you get from a phone call but I think the frequency makes up for that in some respects.  The more you 'chat' with someone the more you get a feel for their voice in general.

Do I still love a long drawn conversation over a cup of coffee nestled up in my arm chair while catching up with a friend?  I do.  I crave it.  But I do find the same level of companionship out reading a Facebook post about a friends victory or challenge.  I feel included.  In the loop.  I am able to absorb information from them I would not have known otherwise.  I get very few quiet moments to chit chat on the phone in my everyday life.  I am a hot commodity around here :)  These new forms of communication have afforded me the ability to not feel like I live on Lepper Island.  It's good.

Do some people over share on the Social Media sites? Yes.  Yes they do.  Do I need to know when someone's Aunt Flo is visiting or how many times their kiddos has pooped that day?  Probably not.  But that is why each media has the 'see you later' button.  You just send the oversharers packing. No harm, no foul.  I have also found there are people with whom I have been acquaintances with and I discover that they are amazing people.  People I would likely have never spent enough time with in person to ever get to know this.  I count this a win.

In short, if you can find a way to stay connected with people: do it.  We are here on this Earth to make someone else's day better, brighter.  Make a call, write a note, type an IM, post a message, tweet somebody....connect with people...help someone find their smile.  You'll be glad you did.