My mother was fond of saying you can never say thank you to others too many times, something I've tried to remember and do regularly ever since.
Today, I want to thank folks who comment on the posts I select for the featured post widget located on the left side of my blog's home page. The boost I get whenever someone does this lingers for hours. Please know that I always reply to your comments, no matter how old the post is. Blogger makes doing so easy because all comments appear in the order in which they are made, irrespective of the date the original post was published. And solipsistic as it may be, part of that boost is connected to re-reading whatever it is I've resurrected from my archives so I can respond appropriately. Sometimes, it can be a little like visiting a younger version of myself.
Re-visiting these older posts when someone makes a new comment also gives me an opportunity to re-read any comments that were made when the post first appeared. Coming across a frequent early commenter who has since stopped doing so, for whatever reason, can bring that person back into my life, at least briefly. In addition, as with the comment made by my daughter to the post at the bottom of this one, it's not uncommon for me to be struck anew by some insight from a reader. In this case, I realized in retrospect how my emotionally intelligent daughter - all of twenty-two years old at the time - had helped her old man navigate a thorny issue that had plagued him for some time.
Sweetheart: Consider this a belated acknowledgment of your precocious wisdom, especially since I neglected to thank you or even to respond to your comment back in 2011. Mea culpa.
A subject close to my heart. Writing is lonely. And when someone responds, not just in their head, but actually writing it out, it is exactly as you describe, Pat-- a gift.
ReplyDeleteRegina; Thanks for the comment. You are so right about how lonely writing can be.
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