Dear ferret friends,
--I was shocked & saddened to read Bruce Williams' note saying he is
leaving the fml - i was surprised at how much it upset me.  I wrote him
this response, and decided to share it with all of you too.
 ---sharin
 
Dear Bruce,
 
I know i'm expressing the thoughts of many when i say how sorry i am that
you are leaving the fml - what a sense of loss i feel.  Of course, we
were incredibly lucky to have your expert consultation, graciously &
thoughtfully offered, and at no cost ... we knew that, and never thought
it could last forever - but how sad that you are withdrawing because of
our own bad behavior.
 
I appreciate the help you have given me so much.  And, as i read the fml
each day, I have frequently been surprised at how generous you have been
with your knowlege and expertise.  I wondered how you could do it without
burning out totally.
 
Now, I'm tempted to give you a lecture about "don't let the idiots get
you down" - you know, just skip over their posts and sigh - but i can't.
Because, of course, you have the right reaction - the things you are
appalled by are appalling.  It's too easy to become world-weary and jaded
and just look past awfulness with a shake of the head... I am constantly
picking and choosing when to get outraged about some awful thing and when
to just turn my head and let it pass... i'm just a pet owner and not
enmeshed in the ferret community, so it's easy for me to make the choice
to ignore the jerks on the fml.  (but then, i havent been the subject of
their hate mail, either...)
 
And i guess email communication must make it easier for people to behave
badly, not "really" knowing the people they are writing to, or having to
look them in the eye.  It's a sad thing.
 
Oh well, thanks one more time for all you have done for ferrets, and for
the ferret owners on the fml, and, in particular, for my bright-eyed
little Chloe.
 
---sharin
[Posted in FML issue 3332]