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Dear Reader,
This morning I finally took the time to reply to a friend who had sent me an email (I'm embarrassed to admit that they sent it two months ago). Shame on me. Seriously, shame on me. I think the problem is that calling or emailing a friend is one of the things I keep on my "When I Have Time to-do" list. My intentions were good. I thought of my friend each and every time I glanced at my, "When I have time to do list," but I never took the time, and now when I finally am taking the time to reply, I feel a bit awkward.
"Hey it's me. I know you must have thought I died and someone forgot to call you." It's what I want to lead with, because I feel the need to offer an explanation about why I've been silent for so long. And therein lies part of the problem, because that awkward feeling, it makes me want to put off sending an email or picking up the phone, and the distance between us becomes even longer. So I've decided when I re-establish contact with a friend I haven't been in touch with for a long time, I'm not going to offer an excuse. Instead, I'm jumping right into, "Hello, I was thinking of you today. How are things? What's been going on?" And after I listen, instead of reciting a list of all the things that have happened in my life since we last spoke, I'll stay in the present. I'll talk about what I'm working on today and my plans for tomorrow and soon the awkwardness simply feels like two friends sitting on a park bench sharing their heartaches, joys and dreams.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
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