A Place to Begin

To you, about to set out,

Welcome to the Storm Post Office. This letter is on sage paper, its title in lively, warm hand-brushed lettering. An ivory scientific index-card band wraps the page, with a sea and a folded map drawn in line; beside it are a tiny ocher suitcase, a lavender ticket tab, and a border woven from an intricate network of routes. No date is given, because a beginning does not need one.

Laozi said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet." — Laozi, Tao Te Ching, chapter 64 (c. 4th century BC)

A place to begin is not some distant name. It is where you are standing now. Set the suitcase down and write the first word on the back of this letter; the post office will remember the rest of the road.

Starting from here,

Storm Post Office

Undated · The Starting Point