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Monday,
March 25, 2002
CN
U REED THIS? if sothen this ssay is 4 u!
Don’t let this happen to you.
By
Jim Pizzo
 Thank
you. They are two small words that say so much. The word ‘thank’
is defined as a verb and means to express gratitude to, and
‘you,’
well, it can’t get any more personal than that, it’s
you!
Receiving
a ‘Thank You’ note implies that you touched the
writer with your act of kindness. Writing a ‘Thank You’
note implies that the writer received something special from
someone and now wants to convey his or her heartfelt thanks.
The
‘Thank You’ notes I recently received were a letter
and some emails. There is nothing so lovely as a note written
on a hand picked Hallmark. It shows that the writer took the
time to shop and then personalize the card with meaningful
words. A note written neatly on someone’s personalized
stationery is also quite nice. My mother used to say after
reading a card or note received, “You can tell they have
good breeding!” I knew what she meant. The carefully
chosen words, the unhurried flourish of the note sender’s
handwriting, the correct spelling and grammar…all these
things send a message that the person comes from ‘good
stock,’ as mom called it. There is no better way to make
a good impression.
If
technology keeps up its rapid pace, a good ‘Thank You’
note will soon be relegated to that museum vault which contains
a Victrola, a Black & White TV, LPs and 8 Track Tapes,
Audio Cassette Tapes and now with the invention of DVDs I
am sure VHS tapes will run to the closing door screaming,
“Wait! Wait for me!” Hopefully those of us from
‘good stock’ will pass the good breeding baton to
the next generation, keeping ‘Thank You’ notes alive
and well and living forever.
The
letter I received thanked me for a wedding gift I sent to
a friend. The bride is a friend who shares the same name with
my mom. I thought what better way to honor my special bond
with mom and friend then to pass down one of mom’s mementos,
keeping mom’s spirit alive. Nina, friend, knows the special
relationship mom and I have, had and will have forever! Receiving
Nina’s Thank You note and reading the thoughtful sentiment
made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Her words touched me very
deeply.
I
received another Thank You note; only this time it was an
email. I sent a friend a package that contained a special
dessert his mom loves. I love food and if sending Italian
pastry 3,000 miles can make my friend’s mom happy, heck
I’ll send a dozen to anyone who enjoys food like I do.
Here’s an excerpt from that email:
…tanks
for the pkg, mom loved it, hope u r well, mis u. how is nyc,
worl ok? Let me kmow when u’re comin out tio visit, so
we can arang some sidetrips. Moe later…
That’s
just an excerpt from an email that went on for 4 paragraphs.
It took me a while but my secret decoder ring told me that
this was not a special message from Agent Jones asking for
my password to escape from the clutches of his enemy. I also
realized that this was written from home and not from my friend’s
workplace so the “I was in a rush excuse” won’t
pass.
After
printing out the email and taking each sentence slowly, I
finally understood what he wrote. My grammar antennae shot
up and the vocabulary police ran to my desk seeking their
next assignment. I was about to send them on their way when
that email-warning bell dinged, informing me that I received
some emails. Some were replies to a discussion group topic
while others were from my co-workers and company sales staff.
Most of the emails surprised me enough to render me speechless,
no small task for those who know me.
I
asked the attending vocabulary cops to take a break, as I
needed to gather more evidence. I then proceeded to read each
email more closely. Some people take the time to write in
coherent sentences and use the proper punctuation. I applaud
you and Thank You from the bottom of my heart. You show me
that you care. Then there are those who refuse to use capital
letters, good grammar or any punctuation at all. Some even
refuse to use spell check.
There
is no greater joy than opening an email that is one long run
on sentence, void of punctuation and spelling, good grammar
and proper use of capitalization. I shrill with delight viewing
an email that was obviously written in haste. Spending 20
minutes trying to get the gist of the writers’ intent,
thinking they meant one thing but they really meant something
else brings tears to my eyes (and not ones of joy either).
I place my hands over my ears when seeing an email ENTIRELY
IN CAPITAL LETTERS and beg my PC to please stop shouting!
Seeing an email written in BOLD CAPS thrills me as
well. I realize to myself, “Wow, they not only clicked
the Caps Lock key but they clicked the B icon as well!”
I
admit that I have no choice but to take a cursory look at
each email sent. I delete any emails resembling gibberish.
The sanitation workers assigned my desktop trashcan route
begged me to slowdown. I empty my desktop trashcan more than
the garbage pails in my home. I feel bad since the person
writing probably has a valid point or request. Those emails
from co-workers and sales that I am forced to answer, I just
state, “Please see my questions and/or remarks below.”
It pains me to hit send since my response appears to condone
their bad habits.
I
delete any email from the discussion group that I can’t
decipher. I just don’t have the time to figure out what
the person meant to say. I feel bad for anyone who feels so
busy and rushed that they feel a misspelled email is better
than no email at all. Friends who send me gibberish know that
I am not a shy, reticent kind of guy. I speak my mind. Another
mom lesson: don’t say something behind someone’s
back that you don’t have the nerve to say to his or her
face. So my friends know how I feel.
For
those of you who have an aversion to spell check or if grammar
check just goes against your grain while taking the time to
proof your email before clicking send is not an option either
then I offer this Thank You in advance:
Thnks
4 senting ure email 4 me to reed iwill reply onse im able
2 decode it
Hoep you no that ido apresiate the ffort that wnet into yur
document.
For
those of you who do care, here is your Thank You:
Thanks
for sending your email for me to read. I will reply once I
am able (the decode comment does not apply). Hope you know
that I do appreciate the effort that went into your document.
Sending
a letter or an email to someone for the first time is his
or her first impression of you. Remember that a little kindness
goes a long, long way. Respect your recipients’ time.
If you can’t read it then
please don’t send it. The sad part is that most times
the sender can read it and that my friend is the subject for
another essay.
 See
other "In A Manner of Speaking" Essays
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