To Me From Me

When I was a kid, I always figured that adults had all the answers. "Why is the sky blue?" I'd ask my father and I knew he'd know. "What did dinosaurs look like?" I'd ask my mother and I knew she'd send me to my room. (By the way - I really DID ask my mom that question, when I was going through my "dinosaurs are cool" phase. I still don't know how she kept a straight face with that one.) I don't know if I thought that, at a certain age, everyone got some kind of cheat sheet of knowledge or what, but I knew that one day, I'd know whatever was worth knowing.

And then I became a teenager. I remember (and this is true, too) that my father found a refrigerator magnet that he LOVED and he'd point to it regularly when my sister and I were around. It read "Attention Teenagers: Move out now and pay your own way while you still know it all." I liked to think that it was directed more at my sister than at me, but I'm sure that we both had our moments of "our parents are sooooo stupid".

So it's in that line of thinking that I pondered last night: If I could sit my younger self down, what would I share? What advice would I give? What knowledge would I convey?

I came up with this:

Go play. Yes, you'll probably wind up breaking your arm ... ok, maybe both of them ... sure, possibly more than once ... but play anyway. It'll be worth it.

Pay more attention in school and try to get some good study habits going early. If ya' don't, you're really not going to enjoy the 8th grade all that much and you'll miss being able to be in some cool advance education classes by *that much* in high school.

That boy that swears he wants to spend the rest of his life with you is still in college and has no idea what "life" even is yet. Cut him some slack for breaking your heart - but it's ok to never forget how he'll do it (besides, it'll be a familiar lesson later in your life).

Speaking of boys, don't confuse them with men. Some will be harder to identify than others because of better camouflage, but - to use a hunters analogy - if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and has feathers like a duck, don't tell yourself it's a swan. It's a duck.

Don't worry about questioning those who appear to be in a position of knowledge. If they're not secure enough to handle some innocent questions, they probably have less knowledge than you think.

There will be a natural disaster in the middle of the "00" decade that, for reasons you'll never understand, will compel you to get involved in a way that will change your life. I have no advice for ya' on this one, as you'll do the right thing.

And finally - and this is the most important part - if you change any part of your growing up journey as you become an adult, you'll never get to meet the love of your life. So - whatever you do - ignore EVERYTHING I've just shared with you and know that you will be loved ... more than you ever thought possible and better than any movie you've seen or book you've read. And if you change anything along the way, you won't be the same person and you'll miss out on it.

So just ... go play.