Forgive me for being so forward

I get frustrated by e-mails with headings like "I am sending this to you to see how many actually read their e-mail." Got to love the misspellings at the end. Why does it matter to you whether I read my e-mails or not. What if I don't? I can tell you plain and simply, if you want to send me a note to let me know how much you care about me, thank you. Turning it into a poll, a competition, a survey, or a promise of personal gain, earns it a trip to the trash.

One of my personal favorites was an e-mail from a friend with the heading "You are one of eleven people in my life" and it was addressed to 16 people. When I shared that with her she laughed hard and said "I hoped you hadn't noticed. I just couldn't select just 11 people."

I struggle as well with "soldier forwards". I know how important it is to remember the tremendous personal sacrifices soldiers have made. Maybe, instead of being invited to send the soldier e-mail on to your entire contact list, we should sent personal notes of gratitude to the soldiers themselves. I know that the family member of mine in Afghanistan is in the forefront of my mind most of the time, and I don't need an e-mail to jumpstart my appreciation for him.

Sadly we are a nation of convience. It is easier to forward than to express in our own words what we think and feel. I guess I put as much energy into reading something as someone puts into sending it.