About at my journey's end

[BigV]

I'd like to expand on my remarks.

Writing down what is on your mind and on your heart is an excellent way to communicate. It does have some complications. It is not very spontaneous compared to oral communication. There's no guarantee that the recipient will read it or understand it. Written communication misses many of the nuances of face to face communication where non verbal communication can be as rich as the words being spoken. Please note I say complications, not disadvantages.

In my experience, being less spontaneous was often an advantage since it gave me the time to deliberately compose my thoughts. Speaking in anger has almost always had very negative effects, and my anger was often cooled by the time I set pen to paper.

Being unsure that the recipient will "get it" literally and figuratively is a risk, but no more or less a risk than with verbal communication. Communication is the sending and receiving of information. Just saying it doesn't really make it communication. Nor does only writing it, but, unlike speech, writing out my thoughts is by itself a useful exercise. It is sometimes cathartic, or clarifying, and this *can* happen even without a receptive audience.

Writing can have a tone of voice, but it's not the same as vocal inflections. There's something magical about the human voice that touches us deeply. Unfortunately, in situations like this, the sensation that touch leaves is anger or frustration or despair or contempt. I have reacted to the tone and missed the words and this has crippled the communication. Missing that exquisite intensity can let me focus better on the content of what is being conveyed.

Writing's totally worth it, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. We have lots of tools, writing's one of them. Try them all, keep paying attention, use what works.