Instructions for the new born child

You’ve come from so far

Tiny creature of love

Make yourself at home

There are strawberries and hummingbirds

There are breath-taking sunsets and crystalline waters

Make sure you walk barefoot on warm sand

There’s literature, and theatre

And the extraordinary human voice.

There is also horror and pain, racism and bigotry

So, learn to tell beauty from terror, truth from hate

Wander through our world heritage

Crush lavender seeds in your fingers, and then, eyes closed, take a deep breath into your hands

Believe in god, nature or love, some say they’re the same

Go find your soulmates, and cultivate them like a sacred garden

Recognize the universal in our striking human diversity

Respect and cherish the voice of a loved one by your side

Travel by land, water, and air, and make yourself the destination

Praise human creativity, there’s Bach, Shakespeare and Borges, Miguel Hernández, and Maya Angelou, to name but a few