Laura #1 - July 2026

Hi Laura, daddy loves you so much.

Today I'm writing you the first message from the capsule that I hope finds you well in the future. Today, like yesterday, was a very difficult day. Right now I'm working a lot. On Mondays I wake up at 6:30 and manage to leave the house by 7:30, only to get back home between 10 and 11 at night. The same thing continues on Tuesday. Today, even though I tried to leave the office on time, I ended up running more than 1 hour over schedule. It was only after that that I finally managed to get home. These past few days I've been trying to explain to you that I don't want to go to work every day either, and that I wish I could stay home with you too. Part of me even wants to go to kindergarten with you. What a great idea that would be. Imagine us going to kindergarten together. I would love to get to know your world, to see how you interact with the other kids and what makes you sad or what makes you laugh.

I think this is one of the hardest things for a parent: that a day only has 24 hours. I wish I could spend every second of every day with you. And you should know I'm sure mommy feels the same way. Today when I got home from work I found you still awake. You were hiding somewhere in the living room, so well that I didn't even see you at first. Then you came to me and told me all the cool things you did today. I'm sorry, my love, that I wasn't able to remember anything you told me. My brain was only focused on the exhaustion, the heat, and the sweat pouring off me. Today I managed to see around 50 patients again, and unfortunately in 30°C heat. It's incredible how exhausting it all is. I know it's not a good excuse for not being able to pay attention to you, but that's the reality.

The message, or the purpose of this capsule, is first of all to ask for your forgiveness. Ever since Luca was born, somehow in my mind you've become the big sister. Because of that, I tend to hold you to higher standards even though you're still just a child. You're only 4 years old, it's normal for you to act like a 4-year-old. But I've noticed I have less and less patience every time you act like a 4-year-old, and for that I want to apologize. You're a wonderful little girl, smart and well-behaved. I'm going to try to remember that just because Luca was born, that doesn't mean you've already become a big girl. You're still a little kid, and you need more patience, not less.

It made me endlessly happy to hear that you wanted to sleep with me tonight and that you wanted to play with your new invention. I'm looking at it right now — the piece of cardboard you put over the pillows, with a few toys in the middle of the living room. It's beyond my understanding why you also need all your other toys scattered around the house. I know that today at lunch, when we talked on the phone, you told me you'd invented a wonderful game with mommy and that you really wanted to play it with me, and that there was no way you were putting it away until we played together. It's incredible to me that you stuck to that, just as it's incredible to me that mommy had the patience to leave it all set up like that.

Imagination is something you've always had, and it's something we both really want to nurture in you. Imagination is what lets us overcome most of the barriers we face. Do you remember what the two of us always say? "Logic gets you from point A to point B, imagination takes you everywhere." Don't forget that when you grow up.

It made me just as happy when you immediately told me that I hadn't spent any time with you today, and that instead of going to take a shower, I should spend time with you. You have a good heart, I hope you keep it as you grow up. I'm sorry I don't always have patience with you, and that I expect you to act like a 10-year-old right away. I realize how absurd my expectations are, and I don't want you to feel any kind of pressure because of them. It's true that diamonds are only formed under pressure, but I promise we'll form our diamond some other time, later on. For now, tonight, I just want to tell you I'm sorry for the moments when I don't always have patience, and to promise you that tomorrow I'll try to be better for you.

Daddy loves you so much.

Colmar, July 14, 2026, 23:12.