Staying in touch

[gement]

The most important thing I got out of Tuesdays with Morrie was the idea of staying in touch with people you care about, which I am phenomenally bad at. I mean, really bad at it.

I got a wedding invitation, months ago, from a friend getting married in Ireland, this weekend. I still haven't replied, despite her asking very clearly for a reply, despite the return address, despite the inclusion of an e-mail address (which I already had memorized). Despite the fact she asked me to sing at her wedding.

Obviously, I can't swing a trip to Ireland right now. It's just not in my priorities. But a reply? What's wrong with me?

I have a friend with cancer who would be delighted if I could just get off my duff far enough to call her once a week. Once a freakin' week. I've called her maybe three times in the last six months.

I'm even worse about people whose contact info I can't keep track of, which is most of them. I have an e-mail address from my college, which I was pleased to see would last forever, so I could keep all my archives, and I wouldn't lose contact with people who didn't have any other means of contacting me.

I haven't checked that account in a year. I still have it. It just feels like too much hassle to check it. Too much hassle to talk to the people I most care about. WTF?

People who stay in good touch with their loved ones, and especially those of you who have had to learn the skill... Help me. Please.

Comments

[plantae.livejournal.com]

I'm really just thirding Erin's comment. One thing that helped me: I got a calander and an address book. When I get a new bit of contact info, it goes into the address book. Not onto bits of paper, just the book, with a mo/year note so I know how accurate the information is. And dates (like birthdays) go onto the calander. So I can flip to (say) October, and see that my Mom and Grandma have birthdays then, and I should probably write a card or call. (Side benefit: I can now plan more than a week in advance. :)

The other thing I found useful for just random keeping in touch with my grandparents, is a stack of postcards. Cheaper than a letter, short (I don't have much to say, anyway :), and pretty pictures. On the other hand, I ended up with a stack of free postcards, so this might work better for me than you. But an idea, none the less.

[gement.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Postcards. Postcards are good, and cheap, and can be prestamped, and can be sent to people and dropped in mailboxes easily. Postcards are good.