A Vote of Thanks for the Newspaper

I must say that for me, reading the newspaper keeps me in touch with the very essence of life--people.

Somehow I have no friends to really call friends because I know that if I do give them a call to say “hello,” not one of them would willingly like to spend time with me. They all have other plans.

Thank goodness for the newspaper. It is always there, patiently waiting for a time that’s convenient for me.

Reading the news, personal tidbits, rumors, gossip, editorials, letters and so many other sharings allows me to keep in contact with the society of humans (otherwise I might just become a blob of solitude).

I have taken many free trips by jumping into the travel pages, I have had many debates with opinions of others without causing a riot, I have shared personal secrets with people I have not even met physically. I have met people I would not like to meet (murderers, thieves, crooked politicians, unashamed teachers who molest kids and empty people).

I have also met people who have inspired me, people who have saved my sanity, people who have given me hope through their survival in this busy world. I have met people with whom I would have never had the opportunity to share their unique feelings and ideas had it not been for the good old, cheap newspaper.

Thank goodness for the newspaper, for those who work diligently to keep us in communication with the world, our neighborhood, our “friends” and, most important of all, ourselves.

LINDA YUKI EMERSON

Irvine