Dear Dylan Thomas,

I am beyond proud of you and impressed by you. Sometimes when I think about you going to UCSB and majoring in math I think to myself, how does his brain work? how am I related to someone whose thinking skills are so above and beyond where mine are? And then I remind myself, we each have our own skills, talents, ways of thinking and viewing the world. And I can honor our different experiences with joy and marvel at them both!

College is not easy. Moving away at 18 is not easy. You went the furthest (geographically) out of all three of us (I’ve still gone the furthest academically/degree wise. But I am sure it won’t take you long to surpass me there, either!), and that must have felt both freeing and terrifying. The struggle is good. In the thick of it, I often don’t see it that way. But when I start to come out of the fear and the worry, the anxiety and the self-doubt, I usually begin to see that the darkness is what helped me grow the most. I wonder if you have had similar experiences in your young adult life, particularly with your college experience.

What an honor it was to come down to Santa Barbara and celebrate your accomplishments! As you transition into the next phase of life, with your bachelor’s degree in hand, remember to be gentle with yourself and with others. Remember to keep your eyes on your own path. It will be tempting to compare yourself to others and the roads laid out ahead of them. But you have your own. One foot in front of the other. Walk, run, crawl, skip, pause, enjoy, be present. I love you so much.

Always,
Kell