Reach Out and Touch Someone

I love when I know that my words have touched some one.

I write. A lot. I write in this blog, a family blog, a daycare blog for my families, a daycare blog about my families (just kidding ... it is about the experiences I've had in my 10 years of daycaring) and a friendship blog. I also have the ability to write in my dance studio's blog (but since my blog drafts never get read (?) or posted, I've quit writing there).

This blog is my journal. My many thoughts about many things. Simply how the world around me touches my life and how I feel about it.

My daycare blog for my families, is their journal. It's a way for them to have a look inside of our day here. I include menus, stories, pictures and videos to paint a visual picture of how our day went.

My other daycare blog is a place to reflect, tell my perspective on how I see things and what (I think) I've learned in my many years of daycare.

The friendship blog is for a small group of friends and was started in the hopes of gaining some momentum and a way of bridging the gap for those who have moved away.

The family blog started slowly, but is gaining some interest.

In these many blogs of mine, I have different 'audiences' and I write accordingly. The blogs that I tend to forget to write in regularly, are the ones that don't appear to have that readership. A few words of acknowledgement is all it takes for me to gain the momentum I need to write.

I email. Not as much as I used to. But to anyone that responds, I write.

I love the power of a group email to initiate a get together. It is a fantastic way of making sure everyone gets the same information and who ever doesn't respond, I know I must follow up with a phone call.

I love knowing that I can write an email any time of the day or night and that the recipient will read it if and when they have the time. I'm not interrupting their day. If they take the time to check their email, hopefully that means they have the time and energy to read it.

I write letters and notes. Not as often as I used to (because I email so much). But even (especially!) in this world of electronic communication, a personal note/letter/or card in one's physical mail box is a precious find. I love to see some one's handwriting on the outside of an envelope. My heart soars, thinking "This one is for me!!" (as compared to the bills, statements, junk mail and other assorted typed envelopes).

I use the phone sparingly. I know that I'm taking the chance of interrupting some one's day when I call. The phone rings and although we have the power to ignore it, most of the time we don't. It interrupts family time, quiet time, busy times and many other times. I have no qualms about answering my phone (though on some occasions I do ignore it) ... but I hate to interject myself into someone else's day. So I don't phone as often as I write.

Anyway ....

What inspired this post about reaching out to people, is the small amount of gifts that I have received lately.

A handful of comments on a few different blogs. The comments let me know that my words have touched a chord with someone out there. I feel like there is a reason that I have this overwhelming amount of excess words in me, when my words spark a memory, touch an emotion or some one feels a similar kinship/understanding.

Another handful of people tell me that they read my blogs and once again, I am fueled with the knowledge that I am making a small difference in some way, to someone else's day.

I find various friends and relatives in my inbox on a semi regular basis. There is nothing that excites me more, than finding a familiar name (and a lot of those names have been relatives lately) in my inbox.

This morning, I woke to find an email from a relative and 2 comments made on the family blog. What a fantastic jump start to the day!!

Yesterday, I called a friend. It was one of those phone calls that was perfectly timed. She had the time to talk ... and she needed to talk. She is one of those people that openly declares just how wonderful it was that I called and she regularly and openly acknowledges our long lasting friendship and our mutual understanding/compassion of each other.

Yes - I took a chance and actually dialed the phone. I reached out and 'touched' someone. It feels so great to be on the receiving end of those perfectly timed calls, emails or inspirational reading. It also feels pretty good to be on the giving end.