Dear Younger Fred…your baby girl has arrived!
Last week, you welcomed Briar Rose to the world.
Mom is doing well.
Baby is healthy.
And your heart will feel like it just expanded in a way you never knew it could.
In moments like this, you'll want to believe you planned well —
the timelines, the due dates, the logistics, the work schedule,
the childcare support, the contingencies… everything.
But here's what this birth taught you:
You can plan everything in life…
but life rarely follows the plan exactly.
With Matthias, you tied your expectations to a date.
You circled it on calendars, anchored to it, and when things didn't unfold exactly on schedule,
you felt stressed, disappointed, and out of control.
This time, you approached it differently.
You learned that life tends toward chaos and uncertainty —
and the more rigid your expectations,
the more painful the deviations.
But when you're flexible…
when you adapt instead of demand…
life becomes surprisingly beautiful again.
What you'll realize through this birth
is that the "perfect moment" isn't the one that matches the plan…
it's the one you're present enough to experience.
And maybe that's the real lesson:
The best things in life aren't at the extremes —
they tend to be somewhere in the middle.
Not fully structured.
Not fully chaotic.
But dancing between the two.
No situation is inherently negative —
we are the ones who assign it meaning.
And if you can remember that, Fred…
parenthood becomes less about control
and more about surrender, wonder, and love.
Holding your daughter for the first time will remind you
how little control you had (she came 3 weeks early after all)…
and how perfect that turned out to be.
Baaaaam — that's it for today.
See you next Thursday.
Stay curious,
Fred
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Before I go… a quick thank you.
To everyone who's been reading these Thursday notes,
sharing them, or sending a message —
it means more than you know.
Grateful to have you on this journey with me.
