READY TO LOAD
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
I got a note.
It was a brief and grateful note on Monday, a kind that causes pause. I’ve had notes like this before, sometimes a sentence or two, but not this brief. And not as significant, perhaps, in terms of causing me to reflect. To reply, to explain, and to say some things I’ve never said in this column before but worth the reflection telling readers who also get my Monday Morning Minute, and I’m happy to share:
The note was in response to this week’s Monday Morning Minute publication – it goes out to an extensive list of subscribers who get it free. Many signed up because someone shared it with them, but most of them, at one time or another, were new additions to one of my mailings list for other publications.
It’s easy to get, quick to read, published at 5 AM Mountain every Monday: 100 words + a quote.
I get responses to that mailing – most often when readers forward to someone who, in turn, signs up, but not often do I get a direct reply with a comment. Each week about 100 new email addresses go on that list, and typically about 70% stay on the list. People come and go, but over 230 weeks now, it seems that most people must like receiving my 100 words every week, so I carry on, with 230 X 100 words, 230 quotes by others so far, and counting …
Like many things we do, part of our life or work and play – we do something until we stop. Along the way, sometimes we pause to examine the value, the worth, the revenue, etc. – or we find the conflict of many other things force us to, we question everything and re-state our priorities, re-think what we do, don’t do, start, and discontinue.
This Monday, I published my MMM as usual.
Three things of note happened.
When I first saw this week’s column in my inbox, I noticed something nobody else would have paid attention to: READY TO LOAD. Those words appeared as if the piece had a title.
As you might expect, I don’t prepare these on Sunday nights; from my file where I keep my DRAFT pieces that are in the works, once I’ve polished them, I mark them: READY TO LOAD …
The second curious thing that happened was the arrival of a note which said,
‘Thanks for this, C’
The third realization, the need to reply – so this was to C, to say thank you for taking time to write because I appreciated the gesture. It only took a moment for her to send it, and as people who know me well, it took longer for me to respond. I wrote a note, in part explaining the history and purpose behind the creation of these Monday morning missives, but mostly because it was an opportunity to do something that mass publishing doesn’t offer, which is to communicate one-to-one with a reader.
I don’t get those opportunities very often, so I try to respond promptly to show whoever it is that I got it, appreciate it, and welcome the connection. Not because it’s good manners, but because (maybe others share this) I too often lose connections with people, ones I miss, ones I regret, and ones who’ve died. So, a fresh reach-out from someone who was kind enough to like what I published and reached out to me – deserves a reply, and I want to explore that connection. I do that with no understanding of the stranger who came from out of the ether, with no idea if I’ll ever hear back from them, but it’s worth it – because we never know what possibilities might unfold when we communicate with others. And we never know if or when people will disconnect from us. I’ve had a dose of that lately which snaps one to attention.
After I read that note, but before starting my day, the auto-play on my Roku TV that had been playing movies all night while I slept, kicked into YouTube mode – and I watched two TedTalks I’ve seen before, but it seemed too apropos of the current state of my head/life to ignore: Caroline McHugh, and Brene Brown.
So, several things happened on Monday to start my day, set my direction – and settle some unsettled feelings lately about some personal issues you won’t read about here, but a steadying influence to begin a day, a week, and maybe a new chapter …
AND, after 230+ weeks of those Monday morning minutes, I have found a title, a working title at least, for something I might publish from them.
I don’t know if that will be a book of some sort, something in the social media world, or a daily calendar: READY TO LOAD.