65th letter from Mihai Tue 11 Nov, 2025 Colmar, France Hey Reader, For a very long time, I thought I needed to find my thing.My specialty, my passion, the one thing that would make me feel alive. I also believed I needed a single word to define myself, something I could say when people asked what I do or who I am. And because I didn’t have that word, I felt like a failure. Everyone else seemed to have theirs. Engineer, football player, journalist. They all looked like they had found the...
19 days ago • 3 min read
64th letter from Mihai Mon 11 Nov, 2025 Colmar, France My workplace for the day Hey Reader, I’m sitting in a café with a warm fire in front of me.Cléo is in daycare, Aurélie is guiding a tour, and I can focus on my work without worrying about my family.It feels good. Something’s been on my mind lately.It’s about what happens when I’m in the presence of my partner. When I’m alone with my daughter, I feel steady.I can set boundaries, make decisions, stay grounded.I don’t need to check with...
20 days ago • 2 min read
63rd letter from Mihai Tue 28 Oct, 2025 Colmar, France Hey Reader, Yesterday we had a visit from one of our friends from the In the Woods group.We’ve built a small community of parents and kids, families who share similar values, love traveling, and feel at home outdoors. It’s our little extended family. The visit was joyful but also unexpected.They were supposed to fly to Canada for a snowboarding season in Whistler. The father is Canadian, the mother is French, and their three-year-old has...
26 days ago • 3 min read
62nd letter from Mihai Wed 22 Oct, 2025 Colmar, France Exploring the streets of Corfu Town on my 2h solo getaway Hey Reader, I’m back in Colmar.Back in our home. This morning I did my workout, dropped Cléo at daycare, and sat down for my nine-to-twelve work block. I’m slowly finding rhythm again after the trip to Greece. What I want to share today is something that came up during our last day in Corfu. I even wrote about it in my journal on the flight home. I called it the ghost work of...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
61st letter from Mihai Sat 18 Oct, 2025 Corfu, Greece My family playing on the beach where I'm writing this from Hey Reader, I know I said I wouldn’t work while on holiday, but sending a letter to my modern-day pen pal isn’t work. And how could I miss the chance to write to you from Greece? It’s a quiet afternoon here in Corfu. The sun finally came out after a few days of rain. Everyone seems lighter, like the weather changed something in us too. We’re here with my parents, my in-laws,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
60th letter from Mihai Mon 13 Oct, 2025 Colmar, France Hey Reader, It’s Monday afternoon and I’m writing before we leave for Greece tomorrow.Aurélie, our daughter, my in-laws, and later my parents will all be there. It will be a real family gathering. I’m not planning to work much, so if you don't hear from me tomorrow, it's a good sign. I want to enjoy the food, the sea, and the few words of Greek I still remember from when I worked there. And maybe a date night with Aurélie while the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
59th letter from Mihai Wed 8 Oct, 2025 Colmar, France Welcome home. Here's your portion of guilt for today Hey Reader, Yesterday after I sent the letter from the café and finished my morning work, I came home for lunch. It was around noon, usually Cléo’s nap time, but I didn’t think about that. Cléo was with Aurélie and her mom, playing. I joined in, happy to see her, and for a few minutes it felt light and easy. Then Aurélie said something about it being time for Cléo’s nap. I don’t even...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
58th letter from Mihai Tue 7 Oct, 2025 Colmar, France My little rooted family Hey Reader, I just finished the Loire Valley trip, the one with the guest who broke her shoulder.She surprised everyone by coming back on the last day. She joined us for the castle visit in Chinon and for the farewell dinner that night. People couldn’t believe it. But it was good to see her there, smiling, finishing what she started. Now I’m back home, sitting at the café I come to often. The sun is warm. I’ve...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
57th letter from Mihai Tue 30 Sep, 2025 Loire Valley, France Today could've ended way worse Hey Reader, I have an unusual letter today. I am writing from a small hotel room after a long day. Plan A did not work. It rarely does. I ate supermarket sushi while talking with Aurélie on the phone, then sat down to tell you about it. I am in the Loire Valley guiding a cycling trip with twelve travelers from the US and Canada. It has been a good group and I have enjoyed the conversations. This...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read