I’m sorry for the mess. I wanted to tidy up before you arrived, but honestly, I didn’t know where to start. The renovations we attempted were a disaster. Not sure if you’re going to be able to fix the hole in the roof your granddad made. Or if the extensions we built after the second world war are structurally sound. Also, the land on the east and south side of your property was sold off for what seemed like a lot of money back in the eighties.
Whatever you do, don’t swim in the pool. It’s got an algae problem!
I know you’ve been blamed for a lot of the mess you inherited. Some folk in town even say you’re apathetic and lazy for not fixing the property that you didn’t trash in the first place.
When I hear some of the stupid things people say, I cringe inside.
For example, your honesty. I know it gets you into trouble but please don’t lose it. When I was young, I learnt how to smile at rude people, to tell my friends that I felt fantastic when I was dying inside, I learnt to show gratitude for working conditions that were affecting my health and keep silent about the abuse others inflicted on me. The last thing I wanted to do was rock the boat. Or cause any trouble.
But you don’t want to pretend, do you? You’re clear and transparent. You want the truth. And your truth sometimes offends people. Excellent, because the lies we’ve been telling each other here are staggering. We stuffed the attic, basement and walls with lies, hoping it would insulate us. It didn’t. We’re suffocating. Please rip the cladding off and expose the rot to sunlight.
People criticise your excessive time spend online and on social media, as if you’re avoiding the real world. Truth is, there is no real world. Not one single solid thing here. It’s all energy, being created moment to moment. From fire-ants to the tallest skyscrapers. Illusory stuff.
You’re in the process of creating something amazing because you know how to dream big. Galaxy big. Universe, warp drive big. Elite Dangerous big. Keep going. You’re on the right path. The connections you’re building tap into a universal truth:
We are one.
And what we do to one, we do to all. You’re smart enough to know this. You might not want to make idle chit chat with your neighbour or the guy who works in the grain store, but you sure as hell don’t care what race, gender, religion or sexual orientation he is. You have already started to eradicate the rising damp of hatred and small-mindedness in this town. Thank goodness!
Sometimes I look into your bright, wide, clear, honest eyes, and I know that the world is finally in safe hands. You make me smile, sweetheart, you really do. Your very existence gives me a deep sense of joy that is hard to express. I fill up with gratitude at the sight of you. You, just being you. Light at the end of the tunnel.
On the day you were born,
I stopped being afraid of the future.
Lisa Reece-Lane 