Hitting Delete

I have received some great advice in my lifetime but recently I gave myself some and haven’t looked back since. It’s the kind of advice that seems obvious but when you’re knee deep in riotousness it doesn’t seem so apparent. 

It started with emails and progressed into every facet of my life. I would get a snarky email from someone close, find that little chip on my shoulder and my response would insight an email chain that would be nothing short of nonsense. Then radio silence would ensue and both parties left wondering was it all worth it. Of course it would only be a matter of time before the same situation presented itself again and the circle would continue. What a waste of time. When did we all get so wordy?

Then one day a particularly brazen email made its way into my in box. It was the perfect candidate for a “reply all” filled with my two cents but on this particular day I was just too tired to engage and decided to just hit the delete button. As I was pressing my new favorite key I felt invigorated. I wondered why I hadn’t become aquatinted with this power before. It was quick, easy and fun! I enjoyed ignoring the excessively opinionated dribble coming through via email. Actually, in hind sight, I’m not even sure those writing the email wanted a response. Maybe they were rhetorical emails. 

As the days passed and I became proficient at deleting inciting emails I decided to take this new found power out for a test drive. But could I “delete” peoples comments when the stood 3 feet from me? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good debate and there are times when I will jump into a conversation head first. That being said, those times are needed far less often than most of us think. A little silence may be awkward but it sometimes speaks volumes. 

Soon I was not only deleting unproductive emails and nonsensical face to face comments but also walking away from whole conversations that just weren’t worth my energy. I’m not going to lie, my life changed a bit when I deleted the verbal drama from my daily routine. I had more time to focus on positive verbal exchanges like the email from my Aunt in Germany and the little note my 7 year old daughter just slipped on top of my keyboard.