March 14, 2023

My dearest,

I wonder if you had ever watched the 80s cartoon BraveStarr? It’s a space Western, which sounds weird and it probably was but I am reminded of it today by the three totems on the wall of our apartment in Bangkok.

Here, I see the silhouettes of a bear, a raptor (more of an owl than an eagle, really) and a moose. Over three decades ago it was also a bear, but a hawk rather than an owl. A wolf and a puma.

You see, Marshal BraveStarr – the Native American hero and galactic peace enforcer – could call upon the power of his spirit animals. You’d love this: Strength of the Bear, Eyes of the Hawk, Ears of the Wolf and Speed of the Puma.

It’s like The Visionaries, another 80s cartoon we had discussed, but all the animal gifts in one man. One day we will write a fantasy superhero story together, I’m sure.

Till then this memory reminds me that time marches on. Decades have passed and it has been years since I watched a cartoon. (Though I might rewatch Dungeons & Dragons ahead of the live-action film release.)

Time marches on but it’s not a slog. No, it’s not. For if our life is a march, then it is a step-by-step journey we embark on together.

For you are my bravest star, my eyes and my ears, my speed and my strength.

Hand in hand, we shall march on and on, discussing 80s cartoon trivia, our imagination always a step ahead of us, full of joy and wonder.

Yours, ever and always.