"This is very cool."

Yes it is.

I'm talking about the 4-word email I received from my best friend first thing this morning, in response to a news story I forwarded to him because I knew it would be of interest to his daughters. Yesterday morning I was greeted to a quick email discussing poor Cameron Douglas. The day before that, he sent me a line or two about the sudden death of the Colorado Rockies' owner.

While the messages aren't especially upbeat, I love finding him in my inbox first thing in the morning. The content really doesn't matter. It's just important to know that he's still out there, thinking of me.

We used to talk for hours, in person when we worked together and then, after he moved, over the phone. For myriad reasons, not the least of which is that his wife has deemed our relationship "inappropriate," we have been learning how to conduct our friendship via email.

This is easy for me. I write for a living. Dashing off a line or two about anything that pops into my head is as natural for me as falling off a log -- and if you knew what a klutz I am, you would know how apt that old saying is.

He finds writing intimidating. So he tries to come up with something to say that is "worthy" of the time it takes to compose and read. Consequently days go by and I don't hear from him. And then I start to spin out -- Is he OK? What's up? Is something wrong? And, truth to tell, I start to feel isolated, because no one means to me exactly what my best friend does. I just need to feel connected.

I have tried, more than once, to explain this to him. All I need is an email that lets me know he's OK and hopes I am, too. It only needs take a moment. But up until this week, my message never got through. Somehow, when I told him how much happier my days are when I find him in my mailbox in the morning, he got it.

And yes, it is very cool.