Do you use Google Mail or Google Reader? Have you used them for several years? Have you fallen into the trap of the Starred Item?

This year I plan to get rid of every starred item in my backlogs. There's only 1,200 in my Gmail account (sigh).

I started going through my starchives today, and found this poem, which I'd emailed myself several years ago. Thought I'd share it here.

After A While

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn ...

-Veronica A. Shoffstall