Dear Kakki,
There have been a few times when I, too, have considered leaving the list.
Unwarranted meanness often flares up, and that never fails to make my blood
boil. Since I hate being angry, and it seems so absurd to carry around
negative feelings caused by people I've never even met, leaving the list can
make a lot of sense. I respect your decision, and whether you are gone for
good or just taking a hiatus, I sincerely wish you all the best.
We know that there is no inner circle, but there is a wonderful core of
JMDLers whose frequent contributions make the list the lively, informative,
welcoming, and engaging place that it is. I know I'm leaving out a few names
here, but you, Ashara, Bob Muller, Paz, Jimmy, Wally, and, of course, Les all
immediately come to mind as people who make the extra effort to ensure that
the list is a daily source of caring, humor, and insight. The loss of any one
of you would be catastrophic to the JMDL, so I sincerely hope to see you back
again soon.
I joined the list last May because I had some extra tickets to Joni's Boston
concert to sell. I never expected to become a part of any online community,
especially a fan list, because it's just not the kind of thing I would
usually do. But I have remained on the list because I have more often than
not enjoyed my time here immensely. I hope it will continue to be the
incredible haven in cyberspace that it has been. But as Joni says, everything
comes and goes . . . so if it begins to look as though the best parts of the
JMDL are in the past, then I wouldn't hesitate to leave, either.
You will be in my thoughts, Kakki. And remember, if you're ever in my neck of
the woods, you'll never need a hotel.
Take care,
--Bob
P. S. This was originally meant to be a private e-mail to you, Kakki, but I
think it's important to share these thoughts with the JMDL community. I hope
you don't mind.
