Public letter to my son

May 17 Tuesday 11:33 PM

Dear son

You are almost 2 years old. It is a pleasure to watch you grow. Every day you become more conscious. Your intellect is sharp.

I have a special connection with you. We don’t need to say anything. Just look at each other and we know deep in our hearts.

We spend afternoons together at the playground. You love when I sneeze. You laugh and laugh. Silly boy.

I would like you and your sister to grow up around nature. Playing outside barefoot. Getting sun burns. Coming in for lunch and going back out again for the whole afternoon. This is childhood.

I like to search for objectivity. So much in the world is uncertain. Chaotic. Yet if we can find something which is pure and sacred, I am there. Blueberries. Running barefoot through a sunny field. Swimming in a cool water hole. The taste of sweet water on a hot day. Lemons. I want you to experience this. I will make sure you do.

I have been searching for a home for us to live in. We would like to live near your grandparents (my parents) and great grandparents (my grandparents). You already live with your grandmother.

Your grandfather is helping me find a nice property of decent size. It will take some time but I know in the end we will find something good. I will not settle for just anything. I want it to count.

I want a place with a few acres of pasture. Surrounded by woods for privacy. A home in good condition. Modest yet beautiful. Built to last. Something to cherish and care for.

Son I want to explain something. Your father has failed many times in life. More times than I have succeeded. And I still fail all the time.

But one thing you cannot do: give in to despair and give up. No matter how seductive despair can be. And it is seductive. It works like the devil. You cannot give in to it.

Just step forward and keep trying. Pivot. Try anything new which you have not tried already. Go out on a limb. Anything but giving up. Only if you fold have you lost the game. Simple as that.

That is what I am thinking about on this hot evening. It's important to me that you understand this lesson as something fundamental. As a principle for you to live by.

I am not an expert on life. But I know you have to persevere when the going gets rough and it’s always bound to get rough sooner or later. Comes in waves. That’s just how it goes.

I can’t wait for you to get a little older and for us to have our land. We will do all the projects together. We will learn together. We will build structures. We will take care of animals and treat them well. I want to do everything with you.

I love you son

Dad