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421A
Berlin-Grünewald
3 May 1923
Dear Professor,
I am combining my reply to your letter with my most cordial wishes for your new year of life. But please do not be angry if straightaway I draw your attention to a contradiction in your letter! You express the hope that I will retain my optimism, and you advise me in the next sentence to get accustomed to the idea that your vitality is limited. How am I to manage these two things at once? Well, since for both at the same time are impossible, I shall choose the former, and without further ado I take my standpoint on the omnipotence of wishes and express my conviction that the new year will give you all possible brightness and health compatible with your years. If you are a psychoanalyst (as Stekel would say), you will have to permit me to point out the over-determination of my conviction. I am just reading your book.1 I still have to thank you for sending it to me. I think it shows evidence of such an unchanged sprightliness that can only delight all of us who are attached to you. The second reason stems from myself, since, as in many previous years, my own birthday is the day when I write to you to congratulate you on yours. Thus, I fill this letter with the maximum amount of confidence and only ask you to introject it for suitable use!
We too are thinking of the Southern Tyrol for August and particularly of the Gröden valley (St Ulrich or Wolkenstein). I am curious what our meeting at the end of August will be like.
I have still had no news of Ophuijsen since he went away a month ago. Sachs will be able to tell you more exactly at Whitsuntide about what has gone on. I myself am indeed grateful to Oph., as Ψα with him has really helped my daughter immensely.
Only good news today from here. Our courses have started and are very well attended. Our young members and the guests of our circle are extremely keen; among them, Lampl is coming along very well too! My analysand from Vienna (Frau Dr D.[eutsch]2) presents no easy task,