I spent some time today catching up on emails. With multiple email addresses and loads of emails in each one, email as a communication tool can sometimes be challenging for me (less challenging than chat though, which is why I prefer long and detailed emails).
And yet, I love emails.
Josh Spector, who runs one of my favourite newsletters tweeted, “Your email inbox has the potential to be a better feed than your social media feeds.”
This has been true for me.
These days, instead of sharing on FB, I try to share via email. I’ve found that it’s more personal and because it’s private and less instant, you can have a deeper (and longer) conversation about the shared topic.
I’ve also found that it’s a much more gratifying way to spend my time, compared to scrolling through my social media feeds.
The emails I receive are sometimes educational, containing links to other amazing articles available on the World Wide Web, or tips on how to script a podcast or write scripts in Google Sheets.
Other times, they’re long missives on life or work or philosophy. And these are the ones I open most often. They feed my soul and inspire me to do better. Perhaps it’s because I already like reading, and words have always been the way to my heart.
And strangely, although it’s not a Group or a forum, there’s still a sense of community that comes with reading these emails. It’s comforting to know that there are real people, doing real things, writing real things. And that there are real people — people just like me — reading these emails, perhaps feeling the things that I feel.
It makes me feel less lonely.
PS. Speaking of loneliness, the latest email from The Adventures of Furochan is about how loneliness and solitude are similar, but different. It was a beautiful piece to read.
