F. Scott Fitzgerald closed a letter to his 11-year-old daughter Scottie with this list:
Things to worry about:Worry about courageWorry about cleanlinessWorry about efficiencyWorry about horsemanshipThings not to worry about:Don’t worry about popular opinionDon’t worry about dollsDon’t worry about the pastDon’t worry about the futureDon’t worry about growing upDon’t worry about anybody getting ahead of youDon’t worry about triumphDon’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own faultDon’t worry about mosquitoesDon’t worry about fliesDon’t worry about insects in generalDon’t worry about parentsDon’t worry about boysDon’t worry about disappointmentsDon’t worry about pleasuresDon’t worry about satisfactionsThings to think about:What am I really aiming at?How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:a) Scholarshipb) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?With dearest love,Daddy.
I think that any girl (or any boy) at any age can take this advice. I don't really have much to say about it because I think that at its purest form, it says all that it needs to say. I just wish I had heard this as an 11-year-old because it would have saved me a lot of heartbreak later on. I mean, I don't need to worry about horsemanship, but the "Don't worry about disappointments" and "Don't worry about boys" would have been very nice to hear as a preteen. The question "Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?" really stands out to me as well. Normally, I feel that people tell me to lose weight so I can stop being fat at them, but phrased in this manner, it is actually helpful gym advice.
Anyway, think of this as blog post .5 (or maybe .75?). I just had to say something about this when I found it here on flavorwire.
4 comments:
Such a wise wise man with excellent advice. Thanks for sharing!
Nice post, Britt. I always thought that being at peace was to finally be the person you would be to follow your own advice.
I just started to blog in November, the first few times are hard and you feel strange "Talking" when no one id there. We both started blogging for different reasons and my were to release the pain, anger,guilt I was dealing with. You could use this to test drive your comedy act on us a long with anything else you want to write about. By the way, I'm in your group on Blogaholic!
Thanks, Natalie! I've totally neglected this blog, but I think I might get some writing done tonight. Thanks for the comment!!!
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