Dear Nora: At a Week

Dear Nora:
       I understand that you've handled everything they've thrown at you like it was a stroll in the park.  Way to go.  You'll get an actual stroll in the park soon.  You'll like it there.  It is to wild nature like Charlie to a wolf, but as an intro course, it'll do.
       Rumor has it you don't like a wet diaper.  I'm pretty sure nobody does.  But good for you, listening to the messages your body is sending.  There is something to that metaphor, the body as a temple. You don't worship the temple itself, but that is the place your spirit is active and renewed.  Let the temple ruin and you'll suffer, distracted from the things you were put here to accomplish.  Some think a body is just a bag of water and chemicals, but it's the bag only you were given, the bag where the inner you lives, and it's a pretty wonderful bag, no matter what the fashion magazines say.  By design, you'll feel what it needs.  Don't ignore it.  Some kids live with so much filth and pain they quit complaining about it.  Don't ever compromise there.  Make sure your body is taken care of. (Said the guy with no neck)
       I wrote today to tell you something you may already know. You're gifted.  Now I don't mean that in the way schools will later describe you; advanced in the knowledge and skills schools measure.  And I don't mean you are some sort of prodigy or intellectual giant. (You might be. Who knows.  And who knows if that's more gift or burden?)  What I mean by gifted, is that you have special talents (I believe we are all born with them), and  nothing to hinder you revealing them.  You are healthy.  Your DNA, with a few exceptions, is sound.  You are safe, for now. You are loved. You are not born into poverty, or arrogance and wealthy privilege.  You have extended family.  The society you'll know, while not perfect, is better than most, with values and traditions, as well as challenges.  Did I say you were loved?
       And now the bad news.  Since you are gifted, there will be expectations.  Part of the excitement of a newborn is the potential for the development of a person of unique value; someone who can make a difference in the world, make it a better place, maybe fix some of the problems we couldn't.  You represent hope.  That's a lot of pressure, even though nobody can clearly define that "person of value" for you, or show you a sure way to get there, as it should be.
       You'll pretty much decide your own course, and in your case there's nothing stopping you.  Some of us spend our whole lives just trying to figure it out.  Trust me, the bar setters will have high standards for you.  Ignore them.  Blow right past them.  Don't allow yourself to be limited.  Be that Marine commercial.
       Once again though, you have an edge. You share a home with accomplished difference makers.  Understanding what drives them can help you.  Wherever that leads, know I'm cheering you on.
       Now and again, I'll set paper to pen.  You do the same.  Go team Nora! K