[2020-09-15] Writing to share our honest reflections
The way to know any writer, of course, is not to meet him in person but to read what he writes. Only in print is he most clear, most true, most honest. No matter what he might say in polite society, catering to convention, it is in writing that we find the real man.
~Richard Bach, A Gift of Wings
In the time of COVID, our communication with loved ones—once perhaps achieved mostly through face-to-face gatherings—is now increasingly done through videoconferencing, telephone and writing. As summer turns to fall, face-to-face communication is likely to become less frequent as we retreat from outdoor settings to the warmth of our homes.
I used to think that communication by videoconferencing and telephone was the next best thing to talking to someone in person, but I'm not so sure anymore. As Richard Bach suggests, people might be their most clear, most true and most honest when they share their thoughts in writing.
A family member recently wrote to me in response to one of my blog posts and concluded his email with this line: "Stay strong. We all need you in our lives." I found that very touching. I'm not sure that he would have said it, or said it in that way, had we been face to face.
Writing fosters a tenderness that is not always present when we talk to each other: we might be willing to commit in writing what we are too shy to say in person. Writing also allows time for reflection and editing, which I believe enhances the expression of our feelings.
Writing also makes it possible for the recipient to reread touching words and, in doing so, to draw strength from them again and again. This is what I have found in the hundreds of messages I have received in the past six weeks—from people I've known all my life to people I've never met. Their written words have communicated such affection and have inspired me.
As COVID drags on, it would be easy to lament what we are losing: the opportunity to safely see loved ones in physically distanced outdoor spaces. But perhaps we can replace that with more written communication.
It doesn't matter that some people write well and others don't—or, at least, think they don't. When you write from the heart, grammar and spelling don't matter. It's the sentiment behind the words that are important.
So I encourage you to write, to share your honest reflections with loved ones, and to communicate just how important they are in your life.
