A Letter to J in Indiana
Posted: July 25, 2014 | Author: April | Filed under: Blogging, Self Improvement | Tags: change, email, hope, listserve |10 CommentsI used to fret over a mess in my inbox. One of my goals last year was to make it a weekly ritual to empty the darn thing completely. And while that is a lovely sight to see, I haven’t had an empty inbox since February 4, 2014.
Such a specific date, you may notice. Surely there is a story behind this, you may think.
There is.
Sometime last summer, I subscribed to the Listserve. Thanks, Justine! It’s an email lottery with (as of right now), 24,556 subscribers, each of which has a chance to win every day. The prize is a single email sent to everyone else. So every day I get an email from someone, somewhere.
My absolute favorite came on February 5, titled a change in my life. In its entirety:
for a long time, i needed the attention of strangers on the internet to feel good about myself, but i don’t anymore.
have a good day,
j
Indiana
This single sentence is the most profoundly hopeful message I have ever read. Every time I read it, it affects me again as strongly as it did the first time I read it. On the rare occasion I briefly ponder what I might write about if given the chance, I think how could I ever come close to this?
Thank you, j, for your words. Thank you for encouraging me every day with your message of change.
I only wish that you had included an email for me to thank you directly.
R. Sativus 
I admit that sometimes I need the attention of strangers on the internet. Just tonight, I noticed in three hours I lost 39 wordpress followers. I told my husband and he looked at me and then said, ” why do you care?” I have been thinking about his response and then this post ever since. I wish I didn’t care…
It’s hard not to care, especially when it’s an important part of your life, isn’t it? I need it too.
Wow, what a sentence! I love it! thank you for sharing!! much love xx
You’re welcome, jillybean!
Wow, that’s a powerful message. And I didn’t know about this, sounds very interesting!
It’s terribly interesting! More than meeting someone new every day, because sometimes you get such a wonderful slice of their life or a point of view you’d never imagined.
Did J mean that he/she found a new live friend and not internet friends ?
Or did J mean that he found his/her inner self and realized he/she didn’t need the approval of others to be him/herself ?
I wonder.
I wonder the same thing sometimes. I like to lean towards inner self.
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