The Atlanta Lawyer December 2017/January 2018 | 页面 12

FROM THE BENCH WWJD: What Would Jimmy Do? Hon. Diane Bessen Chief Judge, State Court of Fulton County Each week Jimmy Fallon amuses us with his witty and topical thank you notes. He pulls out a nice note card and pen, and ponders about precisely what words will best convey his humorous thoughts. Unfortunately, the art of the note seems to be going the way of the love letter. Once the only way to communicate with a sweetheart, the note has now been replaced with texts, emails, ecards, and smart phones that come close to accomplishing the same thing, but lack sentiment and a genuine personal touch. I recently sent someone a very nice engagement gift and much to my disbelief, received a thank you text. I was actually stunned. It wasn’t even an email! I have no doubt some of this is genera- tional; however, I can’t emphasize enough how heartwarming it is to receive a handwritten note and frankly think it should never be replaced by an electronic version. When I became Chief Judge last year, I received many congratu- latory notes, surprisingly, many from perhaps the most influen- tial, busiest attorneys in the metro area. They, like all of us, are trying to squeeze in every last moment of the working day. Yet they found the time to take two minutes to jot down just a few words on their personal stationary to acknowl- edge my new position. People underestimate how sat- isfying the feeling from this the smallest of gestures. The idea that someone took the time to sit down and write a personal note with pen and paper, as opposed to resorting to the certainly more expedient e-version not only makes one feel special, but it says so much about one’s character. “People underestimate how satisfying the feeling from this the smallest of gestures.” It says you listened to your parents the countless times they hounded you about the importance of ac- knowledging a gift or achievement in this way. Additionally, because it actually takes more time to write, address and mail a note, it means the sender does so having dedi- cated time to the process and thus it was important to them. Finally, you always have the note as a re- minder. Even though the email might last forever in cyberspace, good luck finding it six months from now if you’re not a tech whiz. Perhaps the handwritten note is on its way of being permanently replaced by a video message or tweet, but Ms. Manners and Amy Vanderbilt consider a handwritten note an essential part of the art of communicating, something I am afraid that is dying in our digital, electronic age. So even though I am fearful I might now receive buckets of handwritten notes from every attorney and litigant who appear before me this year, I still encourage you, that when you re- ceive a gift, someone you know gets a promotion or loses a loved one, that you sit yourself down and take a few moments to hand write a short note. I promise the gesture will be greatly appreciated and remembered in ways you can- not imagine. ▪ 12 December 2017 / January 2018