Pierre's #3: Crossroads

Dear Marie,

I think a lot lately about my final year as a student, and what comes next. It's both exciting and intimidating, but it's also very mysterious.
I've never been away from home for too long, the longest period i had spent was a little more than two months at college, on which mom and dad call me pretty much everyday to check up on me.
I never visited another country, nor did I see so much of our own country.
And all the stories about people who have seen so much and went to so many places make me wonder of how much hardship they went through, because I reckon it's not exactly a walk in the park.
But then again, none of what anyone has ever done or how they've done it matters to me, because no one can offer a guide to how you can overcome hard times and situations, you just do it.
I like to imagine the end of this final year as the final scene in "Cast Away" where Tom Hanks stops at a crossroad, not knowing exactly where he's headed, a map in his hand, then he looks around him, filled with a sense of excitement, he smiles, then there's a fade-out and music.

Maybe I'm not exactly going to drive off aimlessly, nor am I going to grab a map and choose a random destination, but I'll definitely feel that excitement of being in my own life's crossroad.
I don't know where I'm headed, and I don't want to know.
For now, I want to read books, tons of them, and write as much as I can, do whatever crosses my mind, maybe decide that I want to become a painter, or decide to pursue a PhD...
The possibilities are endless.
Someday, my life's crossroads will be ours, we'll decide to do new things and we'll face new challenges and meet new people, all of which will inspire us to become more, hopefully better.
Together.

Til then, all my love and best wishes my dear Marie,
Pierre.

Pierre's #2: On Being Great

Dear Marie,

As I was randomly going through Pinterest the other day I came across this sketch, which is actually a quote, and it doesn't matter who wrote it besides the fact that it's not that great of a quote.

But it evoked a lot of thoughts that have been going on in my mind recently, about what a person should really go through in order to build a strong personality and become someone of true importance.

We were invited the other day to the graduation party of a son of one of my dad's close friends.

This friend of his had a brother who went to the same school as I am. An old man, born in 1938, I found out later that he used to be a Civil engineer.

After all the guests, except for dad and I, left, we sat down, with the close friend listening to the stories of the old brother.

I'm not used to socializing a lot, and I've never actually been part of a lot of real life conversations, but I listened as he talked about all the places he went and all that he had been through, and what he is now and it was quite the story of a man who had launched himself fully into the world with all it's messiness and roughness, and embraced all that he faced and defied it.

As we went back home I thought of the similarities he had with my late grandfather, who had also traveled even more than this guy and had done much more, and it seemed to me that if I really want to be a great man, I'd have to take a lot of risks in life and face a lot of my fears. That's the only way to fulfill the incessant "Urge to reach my full potential".

Inevitable.

One thing I've always believed in though, is that the universe, or God, or whatever people would set as a higher force that drives all of this, never fails to reward someone who takes such risks and faces their fears in life. I know it for a fact.

How will I start my own "series of unfortunate events" up to greatness? I don't know; I'm a little intimidated by it, but like everything in life, I know it'll be alright, because we have each other, and at the end of the day, as we look back to what we did, whether it's good or bad, it'll be alright, because we'll be each other's comfort.

Yours,

Pierre. 

Marie's #1: Reflecting Shyness.

Dear Pierre,

Being a girl who trains with a bunch of boys ( and other very few and a lot younger girls ) is an unusual thing in such a town but it’s something I really love and enjoy and plan on doing for the rest of my life, well I know that you know all about this and I’m not really trying to take a role as feminist because I kind of still don’t exactly know what that is, I just wanted to put it this way to tell you about this 9 years old girl who trains with me, that seemed like a reflection of some of what I used to be( and maybe still am).

So this Sunday as I walked in, I said Hello to our “ sensei” and headed towards the locker room like I always do, I found her there, I smiled and I tried to say something funny ( you know Marie, she thinks she’s hilarious). I expected some reaction or that she says something but she just smiled and went out too silently that it got me thinking, why doesn’t she ever say a word? There is the other one that never stops talking, she barely even answers when someone asks giving the shortest answer possible, why...? But wait I think I understand why more than anyone else.

Why does she always sit in the corner and never tries to step up, or to blend in? (Why did I? and why do I?) I bet she wonders a lot about how other people are already there “on the dance floor”. And what does that little smile of hers mean “yeah I heard you but I can’t think of anything to say but please just talk to me more and don’t notice that I am?” I very suppose so.

Among all the girls that came, she was the fastest to learn. Is it because she’s smart?  Well she is, but I’m sure it’s because she takes a step back and listens for as long as anyone had to speak that she comprehends things more clearly. But does that make her overly shy?  Or maybe it’s that she barely has something to say that she finds so much time to listen; either way, why is she and why am I?

Because she just doesn’t know that this world (this dance floor) belongs to her just as much as it belongs to anyone else, that no one and nothing in the world has a bit of right to hold your voice ( my voice) down regardless of how it sounds.

It’s funny how as I tell you this I’m realizing most of it for the first time even though I’ve always known it, which is making me want to think through it and look into myself deeper to learn more about the world.

To more discoveries and beautiful things to live my dearest Pierre.

Truly yours,

Marie.

Pierre's #1: Last so called "Family Vacation"

Dear Marie,

I'm going on a vacation with my family next week. It's weird that we only put the name "vacation" on the days on which we go away from home somewhere close to the beach and spend however long mom and dad can afford.
It makes me wonder how we're going to be in the future.
Even though I don't really feel like going with them, mainly because I won't be able to talk to you much, it makes me think of the fact that this might actually be the last summer on which I get to go on vacation with them, because I'm graduating next year and I want to go embrace the world as soon as I do so.
Although I don't feel like I'm going to miss them, I know I will.
It actually makes me think of a lot of things, among which there is the thought of us as a family in the future with our own children.
Even though our parents aren't exactly the 21st century people, but I think we relate to them a lot on the point of wanting to spend a lot of times with our children despite the fact that you and I, in this particular age, tend to get independent and want to have our own personal space away from them.
Having thought of all of this makes me kind of want to have fun with them and tell them how much I love them. After all, I might not get a better chance to bond with them anymore...
I hope it'll be fun.

Yours truly,
Pierre.