4/28/21

Dear Atlas,

It’s me, your Dad.

As I write to you, I’m looking out of my bedroom window at the beautiful Tulum jungle. Every morning, the trees here fill with an array of birds. Woodpeckers, toucans, parrots, vultures, and exotic birds I haven’t yet identified fill the sky.

Nature is one of life’s biggest treasures, Atlas. As human beings, it’s our job to protect, appreciate, care for, and understand the world around us.

When I was younger (though I could easily write “your age”), my parents got all of us wildlife field manuals. Small, leather-bound books, they were full of vibrant, colorful pictures that identified different types of species. Spiders, insects, plants, and birds were a few that I remember.

My Dad bought us a digital microscope, which we used to study insects, plants, and even our own food. Have you ever seen a fly leg at 400X? Let’s do it.

I share this with you because I hope you will discover your own unique love of nature and immerse yourself in it as you get older.

Your Great-Opa wrote a book about his life, which you will someday read. At the end, he wrote a short poem that told where to find him long after he had passed: in the wind, forest, trees, and sun.

You, too, are eternal, Atlas. We all are, in our own unique way.

I love you, Atlas. I keep seeing you in my dreams and I can’t wait to hold you in my arms.

Love,

Dad