Dear Fellow Bloggers and Followers;
This morning I woke to snow on the ground. Rapidly it began to melt because believe it or not yesterday Spring had arrived and the sun was hot. Hangin’ out on the deck chatting to neighbours seemed to be what my agenda called for rather than working inside on a blog post. So when I woke this morning two things were on my mind- my blog post and what was going on outside.
As Spirit calls- more often than my to do list, I donned a pair of hikers, grabbed my camera and spent time “seeing what I see” in the rapid melting scene of my garden. One gift was this snowbird hanging onto the branch slowly melting in the warmth from the sun. I couldn’t help but see “him” hanging out waiting for my lens to capture his last moments before he returned to water.
I had thought that I may blog about the “lost art of letter writing,” because it seems to me, it is an art, and sadly in part due to the speed of technology, and in part due to the instantaneousness of our expectations, and pace of life, it is in many ways become a lost art.
I went to boarding school,and as part of the weekly routine; Sunday was letter-writing day. A time was set aside- we sat dutifully in desks for at least an hour, and wrote “home”.
Having been gifted at birthday, holidays or gone “out” or “over” to friends, part of the “after” ritual was writing “thank-you” letters. In truth, at the time, I found it tedious. However, I now see the gift I discovered then, in two different ways now. First, it was a small gift to offer in gratitude to someone who had thought of me, and second, it was a gift of connection.
Now I see the gift it offered me. The art of contemplation and focus; in a sense, I had to contemplate the other person before I was able to respond, and rather than focus on myself, I was able to “walk a moment in their shoes”- see from another point of view first, rather than my own. That, in and of itself, was a huge gift although as the time it brushed by me rather innocuously. [I just love this 20/20 vision, hindsight thingy!]
I have several dear friends who are at least twenty years my senior, and this morning I was mulling on one in particular, and their ability to letter- write. I began to wonder what was it they offered that surpassed other missives.
First and foremost, they draw from years of practice, the art of honing and refining, and an ability to listen to what is said, and respond in a thoughtful, quiet, present manner. When I receive an email from this particular person, what is it that makes a difference in its message? The technology is the same as many others I receive, yet the contents are radically different.
It came to me that it was as if I was being asked to pull-up a chair close to a blazing fire, and spend a little time with a friend when I read her letter. She shared what was happening in her life, she made references to our connections over the years, she walked a moment in my shoes, she built on her own contemplations and asked me wondering questions- and in doing so, brought me intimately into her circle. The experience of reading one her letters is an embrace; a gift of connection, compassion and contemplation. It is her community of caring. The ability to achieve this seems to me an art she practices by drawing from the inside-out, and making a connection with whom she communicates.
It isn’t the technology that is being used so much, as the attitude of approach. Her attitude is one of compassion, the ability to walk a little in another’s shoes, and draw who she writes to into her circle of influence- and I am grateful to be included in that circle.
Yours, in contemplation
writingmybrain 