You’ve Got Mail

Last week when I sat down at the computer there was an URGENT alert notifying us our storage space was about to reach max. How could that happen?

Hmmm maybe it could be getting crowded up in the Cloud. Do we have our own Cloud or are we sharing our Cloud with someone else? I have to admit I’ve never understood just what the Cloud is or how it works. I don’t understand string theory or astrophysics either, but I manage to struggle through the day.  

Monty became increasingly concerned about the storage situation and started looking at behind the scenes stuff on the computer.  Apparently we have over 23,000 e-mails in the Inbox and over 15,000 items in the Sent mail box.   How is this possible?  We’ve actually received more mail than we’ve sent.  Nawww, I love sending e-mail, I have a lot of catching up to do.  Just kidding.

To my horror, Monty suggested we just delete, yes DELETE the oldest ten or fifteen thousand items in the Inbox and clear the Sent Mail Box.  This, from a man who won’t part with a faded shirt he will never wear and won’t toss out a holey sock. 

Monty has a long list of interests, but e-mailing for the greater good isn’t on his list.  I, on the other hand, enjoy sending and receiving e-mail so the task of sorting through the mail boxes becomes mine by default.  

Early one morning I decided to tackle the Inbox.  I clicked the tiny  button on the top of the screen that brings up the oldest mail first.  Hmmmm mail from 2009,  ten years, this is like a time capsule.  Apparently 2009 was a golden year for e-mail. I’m determined to read each one, lest I delete something dear to my heart.    

After about ten minutes I find a doctor appointment reminder for Sept. 10, 2009.  I know we don’t need this one, with a flourish, I put a check in the little box and hit delete. This is going quite well, at this rate, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of years to get this cleaned up.  

Hey, here’s an e-mail from Amanda, I haven’t heard from her in ages, I wonder how she is doing.  I’ll check and see if she’s on Facebook, yep she has 157 friends,  wow, she’s a grandma, how cool is that, and she just returned from Hawaii, lucky duck. I ought to send her a quick e-mail and catch up.  OK, we’ve covered what’s happened in our lives for the last ten years.  Well, that took longer than I thought, I better get back to my task.  

In the early years of e-mail there were lots jokes zipping through cyber-space.  Everyday the inbox held a good laugh or two. You can’t just toss those, some are worth recycling for the third time.  Let’s face it the older we get the less likely it is that we remember the punch line anyway.  Some treasures like the Husband Store, is a classic that will always be relevant.  One of my favorite the Scottsman’s Kilt is worth a second or third peek.  When up against the Darwin Awards we all feel incredibly smug.  Where else will you find advice like ‘never squat with your spurs on’ or ‘don’t eat yellow snow’.  

I finally relented and started deleting a few of the jokes but only after chuckling when I re-read them.  Moving along, it brightened my day to re-discover actual letters written by friends.  What a delight to be reminded what my Nashville friend, Ruth, was doing so many years ago and the joy of re-reading her letter.  Just like  letters delivered by the real mailman, I saved all of those e-mails also.  

Going through the sent mail should have been easier, but, as you know, I have a lot of words and like to put them in printed form. As I re-read letters written to friends, I’m reminded of reasons for celebrations, funny events, or in some cases difficulties they have gone through.  A full range of emotions are on display and it is good to get in touch with those feelings again.  Of course I saved those too. 

I peeked at the numbers this morning and there are still 21,000 e-mails in the Inbox and about 12,000 in the Sent mail,  I think that’s significant progress.  I might have to revisit the project but the flashing URGENT notice has stopped annoying us, so I think we are good for now.

Ohhhhh, Monty just popped is head in the door and told me he bought a bigger Cloud, renewing my faith he can fix anything.