Stuck being a Draft

“You need to click on the send button. Unless you want it to remain as a draft, with the content known only to you.”

I in jest remarked at a colleague who was contemplating for quite a good time after drafting an email.

As I looked back at my screen, my eyes fell on the “drafts” folder in my mailbox and the number “29” indicating the number of drafts in the folder.

Out of curiosity, I thought of checking as to why there were so many drafts and why they remained so.

Few of the mails were blanks – with only the recipient’s id but no content. Wonder what I intended to communicate to that person and then did not go ahead with it.

Few other’s had the content but did not have any recipient id. I could not recollect whom I intended to send these mail to save a few of them. For those I could remember, the question did pop up, why I did not proceed to send them.

There were a few others, which did not require much thought as both the content as well as the recipients’ ids were clearly stated. As in the earlier case, the question was about ” why I did not send it”.

A bit of contemplation, and there were multiple reasons for those mails remaining as drafts.

Many of the emails with no content, were the ones where I had an idea whom to send but could not come up with the content to say. They seem to be a result of a momentary intent to respond to something, which on a later thought I decided not to pursue.

So seems to be the case with the mails which were drafted but at the last moment decided not to pursue or thought of postponing them to a later date. The sad part, many of such emails have no relevance now. In a few of the cases, holding back seemed the better option but most of the time, they did seem to be a lost opportunity.

The half drafted ones with no recipients are the ones that do cause more pain looking back. They were part of an idea intended to be said but never fully expressed.

I had a quick glance at my blog sites and there I find many drafts which did not manage to be completed or published.

The draft folder seems to have parlance with life. Thoughts, feelings and ideas – intended to be said but remaining as drafts without being given an opportunity to be expressed or acted upon. Fear, uncertainty, improbability, lack of will, sheer laziness or prudence – the reasons could be varied.

As I contemplate on the draft folder of my life, I realise that there were many which I should have acted upon and many others that proved to be good choices by being not actioned upon.

But it did give me a good opportunity to reflect upon and gain some insights which could help me in dealing with the present and future.

Might be it is a good idea, to time and again look into the draft folder of life and reflect upon those which were stuck as drafts. Few might still be worthy of being sent, even if not they still would offer some insights on life.