A buried treasure in my inbox.

The other day I began a full frontal assault on my email inbox. I had accumulated more than 1600 messages — which is really absurd when you consider that I also use about 20 individual folders to sort my mail into topics and projects. I needed to sort through all the inbox messages and either file them into the folders or delete them.

I wound up deleting more than 1000 messages. Seriously: 1000 messages? How the hell did I accumulate all that crap? I also filed about 500 of them. Right now, my inbox sits at 31 and I’m very proud of myself.

Along the way I found a handful of messages from blog readers that I just didn’t get a chance to reply to. Here’s one from June that’s worth saving. But rather than save it filed in my email account, I’d rather share it here.

From: CG [I’ll let her remain anonymous]

Subject: You rock!

Message Body:
Maria,

I found your blog by accident while googling for something random, and I ended up reading several of your posts and looking at some of your photography.

I am a 28-yr-old woman with an engineering degree and too many hobbies (photography, music, motorcycles, scuba diving, bicycling, arts&crafts of various sorts, reading). I just wanted to tell you how inspiring your blog is to someone like me. While I do love shoes and own too many of them, most of my interests have made it easier for me to relate to men and to find far more male friends/role models/mentors/inspirations than female ones. I have shared your experience that most women are either interested in things that seem petty and pointless to me, or else they have focused on building a family instead of building a career or having adventures. So it really excites me whenever I discover a woman who is independent, bold, adventurous, strong, rational, intelligent, and highly skilled.

I’m not looking for advice, or even a reply. I only want you to know that you have one more admirer as of today. I’m sorry for the pain you have experienced at the hands of your father and husband. I also don’t believe in karma but am hoping for it in this case! That picture of the amazing view from your Washington home is proof that you are capable of making a wonderful life for yourself. I know that reading your blog does not mean that I know you, of course, but as far as I can tell, you are an amazing person and I wish there were a lot more women like you!

Thanks for making my day.

– C

Thank you, C, for making my day. Back in June when you originally wrote to me and then again this week when I found your buried message.

It’s email like this that convinces me that I’m on the right track in my life. And makes me glad that I share so much with readers on this blog.

And if CG lived around here, I bet we’d be very good friends. She rocks, too!