In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “It’s a Text, Text, Text, Text World.”

How do you communicate differently online than in person, if at all? How do you communicate emotion and intent in a purely written medium?

Having found myself in a bit of a writing slump lately, I was glad when this prompt caught my attention and the writer in me got interested.

This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately.  In my job, I am constantly reliant upon emails and IM’s to get my point across, and convey my intent appropriately.  This is much more difficult than it seems.

In person, we have many ways to communicate.  We not only have the voice, coupled with the tone of that voice; but we can observe body language, we can touch, and the eyes alone express volumes.  When we try to say the same thing online, we have words and punctuation and some pretty cool emoticons.  If we are technically adept, we can even add a sound bite or an image. but it’s just not the same.

When I was a teenager and our most valued way of communicating from afar was the telephone, I remember those calls from a boyfriend.  You know, the ones where you were glad the phone had a very long cord and you could go hide around the corner from your parents and siblings? I remember wishing I could see the person on the other end of the line so I would really know what they were thinking.  Again, it goes back to the eyes! The windows to our soul!

Great writers can place me right in the center of the conversation, where I feel as though all of my senses are alive and I am in the room with the characters and a part of the conversation myself.  They are describing every detail though, of each individual, to give me the sense of their expressions, emotions, body language and even their innermost thoughts.

Try as I might, I find myself misunderstood on occasion when I correspond via email and text; having to explain myself over again, or explain my intent.  This depends a lot on the recipient and how they receive what has been written.  You have to consider personalities as well, because some people take things wrong, no matter how much care you take in the crafting of your expressions.

There is a time and place for everything and we, as human beings, have to judge what is most appropriate for not only ourselves but for others.  My mother in law is going to prefer a good old fashioned conversation or phone call from one of her grandchildren.  My husband’s “I love you” texts make my mornings, but I know I’ll get the hug later.  A beautifully written letter from a friend is priceless and something you can keep forever, but that isn’t the form of communicating I am going to chose in a crisis.

The failure lies in our choices.  Sometimes, we get too busy and instead of taking the time to make someone know we love them, we cop out and shoot them an email or text.   We hide behind electronics so that we don’t have to deal with real issues.  We need to put some thought into the way we communicate and make changes where necessary.

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.  George Bernard Shaw

I am offended all day long every day at home, work or wherever I may be by Facebook posts, television commercials, magazines, billboards, emails, and even conversations.  Yet, I must keep silent, lest I dare offend someone else.

My beliefs are important to me.  I hold myself to certain standards not because I think I am better than anyone else, but because it is one of the ways I honor God.  That is my choice and my life.  Does everyone conform to that?  No.  Do I expect them to or try to force them to?  No.  Do others have to agree with me and applaud my choices and embrace me?  No.

Let me explain something that I know to be true.  I can disagree with your manner of dress, your language, your choices, and the lifestyle you choose to live and I can still love you.  I am not bereft of love or compassion because my belief system is different than yours.

How do I know this, you might ask?  I will tell you.  I love my children more than anyone in this world other than my husband.  However, I do not agree with all of their choices.  In fact, at times, there are quite a few things I am in disagreement with them over.  They know this and they also know I love them deeply.  They also know when I mention something them that I am concerned about that I do it out of love, looking back to my past and ahead to their future, because I have learned a few things about this thing called life in my almost 50 years.  Love isn’t always accompanied by blind agreement and coddling.

I guess I will step off my soap box for now.  It just bothers me that the very people who are the ones yelling “don’t judge” are the first ones to label me or anyone else that doesn’t share their beliefs.  I call that hypocrisy.

I think this is the first post I have ever done that could possibly garner negative comments.  That should show you something about my feelings on confrontation and disagreements.  I detest dissension.

I just had to get this off my chest and now I feel better.

rain drops on hisbicus

Tonight, on this final day of July, I can’t help but find myself with that familiar annual yearning for Autumn.

I’ve said it before.  I wonder if God in His infinite wisdom blessed us with seasons, because He knew what fickle creatures we are? More likely, or maybe in addition, it’s because seasons are fine teachers if only we pay attention.  And, what a beautiful way to display creation, through the changing backdrops of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.  Our senses are wonderfully and powerfully assaulted by a bountiful array of scenery and variations of weather.

Spring reminds us of new beginning, fresh chances and newness!  Who doesn’t enjoy birdsong, blossoms and butterflies, all abundant in the Spring?  Summer comes on the heels of spring, bringing warm sunshine, the smell of freshly cut grass, bluer skies and lots of outdoor family fun.

Just when summer heat is beginning to stifle, my favorite, Autumn, rushes in to bring relief.  The air is fragrant, leaves are falling, there is a chill in the air and pumpkins!

Then, as if to close out the chapter and start afresh, winter comes with cold, glistening snow for some, and the dying off of things, only to be re-born come Spring.

Saturday sunset