4/27/21

Dear Atlas,

It’s me, your Dad.

I thought you’d be here by now! The anticipation is growing even more now that you’re “late” in my mind; I somehow thought you’d be here on the 26th.

The world looks like it’s going crazy right now, Son. Conflict and fear seem to be top-of-mind for many people I encounter. News junkies.

At the start of 2020, I made a decision to live from my heart and look fear in the eye. That was when I left Ohio for California, to meet your Mom.

The fear was found in taking that big next step: moving away from a place I was just starting to get comfortable in, the place where I grew up. I crash-landed in Ohio after living overseas in Bali for a year.

Yes, your Dad lived in another country! Several of them.

Before going to Bali, I heard a voice (God, the Universe, or however you deem the Divine) tell me, “Help other people and make beautiful things.”

It wasn’t the exact advice I was looking for. I’d hoped for something tangible, with clearly defined steps. It was two filters to view the world, two questions to ask myself with every moment I have: “Am I helping others? Am I creating beauty?” That perspective carried me through the next chapter of my life, and ultimately prepared me for your arrival.

You, little Atlas, are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, felt, and experienced. Even from my limited view of you in your current “home”—which I call the “big ball of love”—in your Mom, I see a miracle in you.

I hope you come into this world and already feel that you are loved, adored, wanted, and respected.

You are.

Love,

Dad