You ask insightful questions, and together we learn about the mysterious world we inhabit.

Sent on
August 7, 2022
by
Nellie Vishnevsky Chaban
Send Your Own Message

My darlings, Juno & Vaeda,

Right now, you are five years old – precocious, kind, and endlessly curious. You are particularly interested in space: the universe, our galaxy, Mars, and our planet. You ask insightful questions, and together we learn about the mysterious world we inhabit.

Rediscovering the miracle of this blue dot we call home – one among millions and billions of planets – is awe-inspiring. I look up at the sky again and marvel at its blue-ness. How the clouds, the sun, the water, and the trees around us, all work in harmony to support this planet, teeming with incredible life.

So often, as adults, we move through the world consumed with things that feel immediate and consequential: getting to work on time, meeting a deadline, paying the bills. And yet, I wonder what would happen if we all paused to consider the immensity of the ocean; that dinosaurs once roamed where we now live; that the ground underneath our feet is never truly still; and that amazing creatures like butterflies, hummingbirds, narwhals, blue whales, giraffes, and elephants all exist. What would happen if every single person stopped to consider how all life – past, present, and future – is connected, intertwined, inextricable.

I am so grateful to be rediscovering the magic of our unique gem, the Earth, through your eyes. Since you were born, I have often thought of our planet with fear and dread. What have we humans have done to this marvelous place, our only home? What kind of future was I giving you by bringing you into this world? Escalating storms, heat waves, environmental catastrophes, and the inaction of those in power left me feeling distraught, powerless, angry, and with little hope.

And yet, I can’t help but fight for your future. At home, we take action in ways that feel meaningful. We compost, garden, and support native pollinators. We advocated for bike lanes in our community (and won!), making it easier and more pleasant for our neighbors to walk, run, and bike instead of drive. When we go to the beach, we always bring a bag to collect trash, and you take great pride in the pounds of garbage we haul off the sand. We always talk about how it’s our responsibility to care for plants, animals, and “the Earth-planet”, as you call it.

It feels important to do these things together. It feels radical to consider the miracle of this planet, as we study images of galaxies that are light-years away and wonder what mysteries the universe holds. We have the privilege of living on this strange and beautiful planet that is so unique in our small corner of the galaxy. We will find joy and awe in it everyday, as we do our part to make sure it survives. We will stay curious and find hope in the darkness, together.

I love you always,
Mama

Share on:
 
Send Your Own Message

More Messages to the Future

 

Dear Future Self,

More than getting through a global pandemic that has already taken hundreds of thousands of lives around the world, our true feat is even larger: to secure our long-term health and the health of the ecosystems upon which we depend for life. To do that, we have to cut our emissions in half in the next ten years, and continue to reduce it beyond that. And to succeed in that, we need to fundamentally shift the way we do EVERYTHING.
 

Dear Lalo,

I hope whatever happens, whatever I can’t imagine that you may face, that you will continue to seek light.
 

Dear Tomorrow,

I promise I will encourage everyone to adopt a plant-based diet. Good for our health, the animals and the planet.
 

dear future people (:

I hope that people are still enjoying the wonders that nature has to offer.
 

To my sons,

I’m voting with climate change as a top priority. I’ve tried to teach you boys that we need to clean up after ourselves and take care of the earth. I promise to continue doing these actions and more, for your sake.
 

Dear future family and friends,

This is our house.
 

Dear Nafia,

I also hope that your previous prayers have been answered. The way you wanted to create green jobs for your fellow city dwellers have been fulfilled already.
 

Dear Tomorrow,

I promise to reach out to more people to ditch driving and consider using public transportation. I promise to convince Marin markets that sensible policies in density and mixed use planning will further enhance everyone’s quality of life.
 

To my daughter,

The climate is quite dynamic these days. Dhaka has dust and warm in this spring.
 

Dear Generations to Be,

If we could all slow down, look around and connect: with each other, the Earth, the sky, the plants and rocks and animals, then maybe we can all remember to treat everyone and everything with respect and live in love.
 

Son,

Make the most of every day because remember yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.
 

Dear Tomorrow,

I will opt up to deep green
View All Messages

Send Your Own Message