I’ve avoided that particular closing for years. In grade school we’re taught that “sincerely,” is the proper way to end a letter. The actual sentiment behind it is instantly lost on a bunch of third graders as they practice writing it by rote.
Ending a letter with “sincerely,” felt anything but sincere.
When we write email and text messages, the hardest part is communicating tone. We don’t have a sarcasm font available to us, and so it’s often very tricky to let someone know when you’re actually being sincere.
“Sure, I’d love to shovel that stall full of horse dung for you.”
“Everything is just awesome.”
Lately, I’ve been sending email expressing genuine gratitude. In an effort to communicate my sincerity, I closed with “sincerely,”
Now I wonder if the recipients saw this as a canned, rote signature. For what it’s worth, I was being sincere 🙂
Sincerely,
Tony
