Dear son, you are 18 today.
18. I keep saying the number in my head, and it still doesn’t quite land. The little boy who used to run around the house making vacuum cleaner sounds and jumping around with me is now, legally, an adult. That’s a strange, wonderful, slightly terrifying thing to type. I am still processing this one.
You’ve spent much of this past year staring down the biggest decision of your young life: where to go, what to study, what to build. It has been something to watch. Your sprint to land at a university you wanted culminated in a year-long push to the finish line. Between writing essays by the dozen and making a meaningful impact at school, you also led your XPrize software team all the way to the finals at this international challenge. You managed all of this and still made time to sing and hang out with Maggi.
I’m glad we made time as a family this winter to visit Spain. It was good to unwind together and just chill after a grueling application process. I am also still getting used to there being three coffee people in the house.
Your music has been an anchor all your life, helping you through the ups and downs. This summer, your friends, your family, your music community, and your teacher are all excited to see you perform on the big stage for your vocal arangetram. It will take a huge effort to prepare for and deliver a two-and-a-half-hour concert, but like everything else, we are pretty confident you will rise to the occasion. I still think of my dad every time I hear you sing. He would have had a lot to say about this year. As your biggest fan, he would have found so much joy in it.
This year, you got me hooked on F1. Your newest obsession may be your craziest yet, but your technical skills and F1 are a match made in heaven. I really hope you make something of it. Your love for good food and your penchant for history are a dangerous combination, one your mother and I are happy to indulge. We’ll keep experimenting with interesting cuisines at home and in restaurants. Our stomachs will stay full and our wallets empty forever.
You are still, at your core, the funniest person in the house. The cave, your bedroom, remains fully operational, and I suspect it will be missed much more than you’ll admit when you leave for college.
Getting into some of the best schools in the country didn’t happen by accident. Your mother and I are equal parts proud and terrified about you heading out into the wide world on your own.
Maggi, of course, remains unaware of milestones and continues to love you with the same unhinged enthusiasm she’s always had. She still lights up most when she sees you at the door. Some things, thankfully, will never change.
18 is yours. You are going to live on your own for the first time, make new friends, and build a new life in a new place. Go make something of it.
Big year, big new life! So proud of everything you have achieved and excited for everything that lies ahead. Your mother, Maggi and I will miss you terribly when you leave for college but thats for another time. For now, we have a packed and awesome summer ahead filled with graduation stuff, family visits and your concert. 18 starts off with a bang.
Happy birthday, dude!
Appa
