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A friend recently asked me, if I could time travel and meet my younger self, what age would I pick, and what would I tell myself?
I have been pondering that very question for the past couple of weeks, as it happens. I had already picked a specific age and situation, and spent every walking hour thinking about what I could say to myself that I would listen to. After a lot of miles, I finally concluded that there would be nothing I could say about anything that would convince me of taking any different course at any time. The weight of experience cannot be communicated, afterall.
But then I turned my mind to something slightly different--and (to me) far more diverting. As I review my life and different decision points, the advice I would give myself (if I had one sentence maximum to use) would look something like this:
I have been pondering that very question for the past couple of weeks, as it happens. I had already picked a specific age and situation, and spent every walking hour thinking about what I could say to myself that I would listen to. After a lot of miles, I finally concluded that there would be nothing I could say about anything that would convince me of taking any different course at any time. The weight of experience cannot be communicated, afterall.
But then I turned my mind to something slightly different--and (to me) far more diverting. As I review my life and different decision points, the advice I would give myself (if I had one sentence maximum to use) would look something like this:
1. Stop that.
2. Get your head out of your ass.
3. You're gonna want to think about that.
4. Don't worry, that's perfectly normal.
5. Ask questions.
6. No. Ugh, no!
7. Actually, DO call it a night after all.
8. Don't bother with Edith Wharton or Henry James.
9. Fight back.
10. Go ahead, dance to one more song, sing one more Christmas Carol, and order one more dessert. A la mode!
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