Often I feel guilty about the thank you notes I haven't written, the empathy cards never sent, all the people in and out of hospitals without even giving them a thumbs up on Facebook.
Do men have these worries?
Sometimes I wish for simpler times when there was nothing to do but spin yarn and can for the coming winter*, though it's most likely I'd still have the exact same hangups.
What to give in return for the renewal of a spirit? While trying to come up with the perfect gift for my friend, she sends me a book.
And for weeks, I keep reminding myself to write a thank you, or at least a text, but don't. Finally, today, I peck out a lame thanks.
And she immediately writes back, apologizing profusely that she feels terrible she didn't include a personal note and how she feels extra bad because of all the notes I have sent her over the years.
Of course, making her feel bad was never my intent. Nor, most likely, was her intent to make me feel guilty over the book she'd sent.
But knowing that doesn't make me feel any less guilty for not having replied promptly with a handwritten card.
*It must be acknowledged that this nostalgia never includes the more undesirable characteristics of "simpler times" such as no dentists, no vaccinations, no antibiotics, no sewers, no rights for woman and minorities, no fresh drinking water, boredom, etc.
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