Words will always be the wheat upon the wind and space of all those blank page fields, but only if the crop is irrigated with passion, truth, imagination, positivity, and humor will it be worth a harvest. And some days are better than others.
Sunday, April 24, 2016, I received the following message from a deeply involved baseball reader on the west coast, someone I’ve never met, but hope to stay in touch with, even beyond this honest and enjoyable exchange of messages:
- Reader ‘Demosthenes’ to The Pecan Park Eagle: “Hi Bill, Thanks for sharing your stories with me, but I must request you take me off your email list. I just don’t have the time to read everything I’d like these days. Thanks, ‘Demosthenes’ (our renaming of the reader in service to his privacy).”
- The Pecan Park Eagle to “Demosthenes’: “
“Hi Demosthenes! I understand and will remove your name from the mailing list today.“Had you been a millennial, you could have just written “TLTR”. (“Too Long To Read”)
“… To which I would have responded “MNTWINDBOIIRWIHTS”
(“My Need To Write Is Not Determined By Others’ Interest In Reading What I Have To Say”.)“… See, I can’t even use abbreviation as the preferred Internet language without “wind” finding it way into the one-word sentence thought.
“Just having fun here, Demosthenes. – Keep up your good work. And drop in and see me sometime.
“site link … https://bill37mccurdy.com/
“Regards, Bill”
- Reader ‘Demosthenes’ to The Pecan Park Eagle: “Many thanks, Bill. You do good work. Keep it going!”
The Lessons? The truth is – nobody has to read or listen to anything that anyone else has to write or say today. Some of us simply have a need to write that’s akin to breathing, but it’s not always because we think we are so brilliant or in need of validation from others. For me, it’s because “writing” is the outlet for mental rumblings that sometimes only become whole thoughts when they find expression in written form. Other times, it may be something we simply want to share with others who may also be interested. It’s a sort of seeking for what readers think of the same issue. The best example of that type column is the one I just wrote on my regrets about how the culture of baseball has changed over the past fifty to seventy years. Those of you who shared your own reactions to the same questions about baseball cultural changes as public comments were insightful, supportive, and sometimes down right funny. I would love to visit the Louvre that Larry Dierker described as it might have been – had Bud Selig been its curator. – What a hoot!
The bottom line for me? I feel less lonely when I write. And I feel more focused on a game that brings such joy, and sometimes the rusty gate of disappointment, to our lives.
If I write something you find to be “TLTR” – by all means – skip it. You don’t have to read them all. On the other hand, if being on the mailing list is nothing more than an annoyance, just let me know – and I will remove your name right away. I only want to be in the lives of those who choose to keep me company too. I may experiment with shorter, more visual columns at some point in the near future, but I can’t see myself ever becoming a Tweeter guy. I simply don’t care for symbolic speech, but I do confess to an occasional column indulgence in emoticons.
To me, words will always be the wheat upon the wind and space of all those blank page fields, but only if the crop is irrigated with passion, truth, imagination, positivity, and humor will it be worth a harvest – no matter who’s writing it. And, for all writers who do columns, articles, or books, some days in the wheat field are better than others.
Have a great week – and a bountiful yield, everybody!
_____________________
Bill McCurdyTags: The Meaning of "TLTR"
The Pecan Park Eagle 
April 25, 2016 at 3:41 pm |
“Reading maketh a full man, conference (speaking) a ready man, and writing an exact man.” -Sir Francis Bacon
Keep up the good work, Bill, and please do not delete me from your email list.
April 25, 2016 at 4:29 pm |
HEY DR. BILL > agreed – keep up the good work; there are few people in life that are happily satisfied in their daily pursuits – indeed you are pleased with yours – GO FORWARD – keep your nose into the wind and your eyes on the horizon!