Life By The Slice, The column - observations on life, relationships and humanity - sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, always from the heart.

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RELEASED SEPTEMBER 22, 2003

E-message in an E-bottle

When we arrived at the beach during the summers of my youth, I could usually be found sitting on the sand with pencil and paper, writing serious pieces of literature for hours on end. You know, things like my name, my age, where I lived, and my hobbies. I'd sometimes draw pictures or share a secret.

I'd take the finished pages, roll them into a scroll, place them in an airtight bottle, and then pitch it into the waves as hard as I could throw. Most times it would fly far enough and I would watch it bob away until it was too small to see.

This went on for years and, litter laws be darned, there are probably over a hundred messages in bottles out there somewhere, just from me alone. Little bits of myself as I grew up, recorded with utmost seriousness, scattered in the ocean, waiting for discovery.

Although I never heard from anyone, the lack of response didn't disappoint me. Part of the thrill was simply the hope. The faith that by putting myself out there, that by reaching out in this small way, I might make a connection or touch someone who might be sad or maybe even make a new friend from some far-away, exotic, foreign land. Maybe someplace like Florida. (Remember, I was a child, to me, Florida was exotic and foreign.)

Twenty-five years have come and gone since I last launched a message in a bottle and felt the thrill as it sailed from view. In retrospect, I suppose that was the beginning of my writing career because since then, instead of a bottle, I use print and online publications to deliver my writing. Instead of simple information about myself, I try to send a message. Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always from the heart. And the wish to make a connection or (hopefully) a positive difference to another person is still the same.

What with this Internet thing, which I think is here to stay, the connections are far easier to make. Little electronic bottles in the form of email that are thrown by clicking SEND into the ocean of cyberspace made up of bits and bytes that carry a message. None of this waiting for years, hoping, wondering about a response. (Unless you're a writer trying to get published, then it can be a lot like that.)

Kidding aside, this past month I've rekindled my old hobby by reaching out and making connections with strangers. If I read something I've enjoyed, I let him or her know. If I see an opportunity to pay a compliment to someone for whatever reason, I do it.

I've found that child-like thrill once again when I hit the SEND button. Sometimes I hear back, sometimes not, but I'm never disappointed, because just like in the days gone by, I have that hope, that faith that the message will find its way.