Hello beautiful,

Today at work, I was listening to this book called The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku. I didn’t really know what it was about going into it, so imagine my surprise when I realised it was an autobiography about the Holocaust. Now, I’ve read a lot of books over the years about this tragic event, but the way the writer retold his story really struck me. I think he wrote it in a way that wasn’t showing off his vocabulary—just raw, honest words—and I really liked that. It really landed with me.

Both his parents died in the event, and he was arrested several times, beaten up, had a number of life-altering injuries, and still managed to live to the age of 100, becoming a parent and a grandparent. It was an amazing account of his life. There’s a paragraph toward the end that I really liked, and it goes something like this:

“But I ask myself, what will happen when we are all gone? What will happen when all of us survivors have passed away? Will our story fade out of history? Or will we be remembered?”

And it’s sad to think about that—because you and I, for so long, have always thought about death and the legacy we might leave behind someday. What will people remember us by when we’re gone? What impact did we leave on this earth in our short time here?

Hearing his struggles while I listened at work, I looked around at all the other workers—how some of them complain that the work is hard, or that their hands hurt, or that they’re not earning enough money—and all those problems seem like peanuts compared to the real struggles people face around the world. I mean, there are people out there who are fearful of not knowing if they’ll live to see another day, god dammit. So I’m always grateful for the sacrifice our parents made to get me and my sister here to Australia—to live the comfortable life we have now.

The best I can do is to show kindness to the people around me, and help whenever I can.

I also realised that I’m starting to enjoy winter now. Don’t get me wrong, buddy—autumn is still our favourite season—but I like winter, not for the cold, but for what it represents. It’s usually seen as a slow season, but I’m starting to use it as the time to get ready for spring and summer by building the foundation early. It’s the season of home improvements and starting new projects, so that when spring and summer come around, everything is in full swing. I’m planting the seeds now, so that when the time comes, the flowers will bloom—instead of planting them late and harvesting too late.

Then, when summer comes, I want to try and save as much money as possible so I can prepare again in the next winter. I think that’s a smart strategy. And it’s kind of an advantage too, because most people just try to survive the winter. They have all their fun and joy in the summer, but then they have nothing planned for the winter. We’re reversing that—and I think it’ll work in our favour.

Keep moving through life with that signature Philip style.

Chat soon. xx