You may or may not have noticed that my pace has slowed. Most significantly this past year, as a fatigue has enveloped me that I cannot shake. The speed at which I do things seems a fraction of what it has normally been. I am tired almost all of the time. Everything requires more effort. I actually hope that you have not noticed this, though I assume you have.

Aside from regular physical deterioration, this slowing, to be frank, results from a tiring of life. There is indication of a looming existential crisis I may face before long. Many integral parts of my daily life have become hazardously unmanageable.

This, of course, is no fault of yours. It is my own. The problem, however, is compounded by its impact on other aspects of our life. It causes stress, for one. Your mom and I loose sleep, putting us at an immediate disadvantage each day. I struggle to effectively manage multiple projects, both paid and unpaid, and thus seem to make no real progress on any one thing. I spend early mornings, evenings and late nights, charging forward on my latest “brilliant” idea, reading and thinking and typing, only to see the fire doused the following day by the need to tend to other obligations. Add to this the current disarray in which the world is operating, the seeming deterioration of our morals, terrible inequality and threats again of unrest and war, it is a miracle anyone can keep focus on their own work long enough to accomplish anything.

All of this amounts to a growing concern for our future and yours. What will become of our decaying culture? How will our livelihoods be altered by artificial intelligence, climate change, pollution, disease, political conflict? Every generation of parents grieves over what they believe will be a grim and frightening future for their children. We talk about the “good old days” and lament that they have long passed. You may do the same when you have children.

Let us remember, however, when looking back, most of these concerns turn out to be nothing. You’ll find yourself standing tall one day and marvel over the fact that, somehow, you have made it. I wonder, what was it that concerned me when I was in my 20s and 30s? The issues I faced were monumental at the time, that’s for certain, and yet I couldn’t tell you what they were. My hope is that the concerns I have today will similarly prove to be nothing. Much like the humorous quote many have attributed to Mark Twain (though its origin is disputed). Your Poppy often uses this quote to put into perspective the fleeting nature of all the things we spend so much time worrying about. It goes like this, “I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”