From the Pages of Hiro Hamada - An open letter + Moving Forward

[zerotohiro]

[On the first page, in the center of the journal]

You have a scholar's mind, a warrior's tenacity, and a healer's heart.

[Next page: in addition to the words there are some doodles. One is a doodle of Jason and Loki on the beach that's more detailed than a cluster on another part of the page that includes little less-detailed drawings of his other guests. There's also a very detailed drawing in the corner of Thrall's hand clutching the journal he's presented to Hiro.]

Dear Tadashi,

I don’t know if they can even receive messages wherever you are, but it can’t hurt to try right? Even if there's no way to reach you, I know you'd want to hear this anyway.

Today is August 19th. I am not home. I have not been home for months but it’s okay. I’m okay. There is a war here and even though they dragged me here without asking at first I realized they really do need our help. Even if I can’t fix the problems back home yet, I can try to fix the ones here.

I don’t know if you’d love or hate it here. Nothing works how it should. No one really reacts how they should either. It’s okay though. I have friends that are taking care of me and I think I’m helping them, too. I hope so.

I miss you A LOT. It still hurts but it’s getting a little better every day. Sometimes I have good days. Sometimes I have bad days. And that’s okay.

Today is one of the good days. We are at the beach! It’s so cool, there are real beaches here with sand and the ocean just like the ones we used to go to. A ton of my friends and I are out here on a break to celebrate Jason’s birthday. I don’t think he’s celebrated a lot of birthdays, and I wanted to surprise him. I think I surprised him a lot.

We’re celebrating my birthday, too. A lot of people have been really nice today and they brought a lot of presents, but I still wish you were here. It’s the first birthday without you and it feels weird. I know you would like my friends most of my friends. They would like you too. I know you’re still around somewhere even if I can’t see you or talk to you anymore. I have a lot to tell you, but I’m not alone here.

And that makes me happy.

...I have a friend here. His name is Thrall. He's an orc! Yes, seriously. He's cool though...he gave me a new journal today and that's what I'm writing in now. He said that I have a lot more books to fill when I'm ready, and only when I'm ready. I don't know if I'm ready-ready, but...I think journaling again might help. There's a lot going on, but at least maybe this way I can make it make more sense.

I'll write more later. I think the fire's dying down on the beach. Gotta go fix that.