If I don't forward your email to eight other powerful, beautiful women who've influenced me, please don't hold it against me.

At least a couple times a week I get emails from friends and family (though not my offspring or spouse, who get it..) praising me as part of their life, and encouraging me to forward to others I feel the same about.

Now I totally get the positive intent of these missives. I do.

But honestly? I never return them to the sender, and I never pass them on to 5, 6, 8 or 12 (whatever the required number du jour may be) others to enjoy and pass along.

I just don't.

And it's not because I don't value the sender, or wish to either reap the benefits on the 4th day following my compliance of the instructions of the email, or to avoid the wrath of the universe should I fail to do so.

I'm just of the mind that if you send something to someone, if it's not a link to an absolutely hilarious video of a baby dancing or a kitten riding a goat, don't make them do anything besides read what you've sent.

I'm all about a good laugh, and the viral effect of sharing funny stuff with people, I get it. I do.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to make people I care about do more stupid work to just hedge a bet with the universe.

If you get an email from me, I'll go ahead and tell you you're special, thank you for being my friend, or otherwise demonstrate my appreciation for you.

But I will never, ever make you send it on. You don't even have to respond to me if  you don't have time/inclination to do so.

And I promise, I have no big secret connection with the forces of the universe that will cause ill effects.

Of this I'm certain.