Dheeraj Chand

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks for taking the time to read this. It is your continued love and support that has sustained me through the years, and your consistent cross-examination and encouragement that has pushed me forward. Nihil sine vobis. Since we are further apart than ever, geographically, I thought that I would take the opportunity to write you an open letter about the last year. A friend of mine in Austin used to refer to his birthday as New Year's Day, as, apparently, everything revolved around him. I find this to be a great practice, and have decided to adopt it as my own. A birthday is certainly of more natural significance than a convention adopted by a Roman Pope bearing a Greek name, and a more natural time to take stock of one's life, and to ask the eternal quid agis question. More than anyone I know, I have great reason to view every day of my existence as a gift. The only other person I know who has any reason to view the simple fact that he awakens is Christopher David Andrew Merwin, another dear friend whom I once described as a soul-brother.
All of you ask, Quid agis, Indice? Quid egis? These are good questions, and I hope to have a good answer.

These last few years have been difficult, as one time hopes and dreams all came to an end, and it was not quite clear what I was going to do with myself. I have worn many hats and many faces, trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do. I have taught high school philosophy, coached debate teams, worked as a Latin tutor and teacher, built websites, worked on campaigns, developed C++ applications to model mathematical functions, worked in D.C. in policy and done just about every odd job that there ever was to do in Austin and Houston. I have been a trained philosopher, philologist and musician. An email from my beloved Lindsay E. Ward earlier this year asked me, "Dheeraj, is there anything you can't do?" I remember a recent conversation with Philip Gabriel Kerpen at a Texas party in which the subjects covered ranged from Dr. Armstrong's Thai houseboy, the elegaic poetry of Wordsworth vis-a-vis Greek elegaic poetry and the Earned Income Tax Credit to whether or not it makes sense to describe Tumbling Dice, my theme song, as a gospel blues in the key of D major or as a blues in the key of D major in the span of twenty minutes. For some people, having such a wide array of choices and opportunities would be lovely. For me, it's overwhelming. I am still unsure of what I'm going to do with myself. I feel the magnetic pull of Chicago, and I am equally pulled towards Washington and Houston.

Either way, as I figure out what the hell it is that I'm going to do, I'd like to think that I've had an interesting year. As many of you know, I had a twenty-four point agenda upon arriving in Washington. In true Dheeraj fashion, every single point on this agenda was assigned a Greek letter as a variable, allowing me to discuss this agenda in public with those in the know.  The twenty-four point agenda has been met, and now, I find myself unsure of which direction to head.  It was a good thing to have accomplished.

My nephew was recently born. The sheer joy of finally having him, my beloved nephew, here, is overwhelming. I find myself looking at pictures of him several times a day, and proudly saying out loud either "MY NEPHEW!" or "President Nephew!"

As twenty-eight begins, though, I can honestly say that the cadre of friends, family, co-workers and loved ones that I have are going to continue to bless and enrich my life. Thank all of you for being there alongside me.

-dx