Dear Ellie:

One thing that traveling is likely to remind you of is that in life sometimes you have to just go for it. As you will know by the time you read this Mommy is a very picky eater, and that’s putting it mildly; but on my trip to London and South Africa I have eaten fish, ostrich, goat, barracuda, and a few items that I’m not even sure I know the name of (but I drew the line at the caterpillar). My motto every time I ate something new has been “Carpe Diem” (or seize the day) and “When in Rome…Do as the Romans”. But my baby I want to remind you that while you should definitely make the most of every new experience, you don’t have to travel around the world to seize the day. Sometimes seizing the day just means going for your dreams like your Uncle who just published his first book. If you have a dream, which I know you will, you don’t have to wait for some magical sign from the universe saying this is exactly the right time, because that may never come. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and jump. I can’t promise that it will work out perfectly anymore than I can promise that I will eat goat again but I can tell you that you won’t regret it. People who live life to the fullest and make the most of every opportunity rarely speak of regrets because they are to busy appreciating the lessons. As a toddler your confidence is inspiring you see something you want to try and because you don’t have a sense of logic or fear you just go for it; I promise to encourage you to keep that spirit for as long as possible. In life there are certainly healthy fears but my baby you don’t always have to fear the unknown sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and seize the day because a second chance is never a guarantee.

Love You Always,

Mommy

P.S. To the girl trying to plan every single moment to be perfect…stop. I’ve learned that life does not work that way. While preparation is certainly important, often there is no better time than the present. So whatever it is that you keep putting off until tomorrow…just go for it. There’s no age requirement for going after your dreams…in fact the world just might be waiting for you to do it. So what ever it is you’re putting off for tomorrow I challenge you to just go for it…it’s your day so seize it!