Have you ever wondered what you’d say to your younger self if you had the opportunity to go back in time? I found this photo of myself taken in the first grade and as I retouched the aging and discolored spots from the surface of the photo I thought about what things the older me would tell the younger me in an effort to make my life better or different in the future.
It’s such a hard question for me as I’ve had a really good life thus far. I appreciate my early beginnings in the south spending the first part of my life in the rural south living off the land as we grew our own food, harvested animals we grew for meat, and drinking water from a natural spring. Those things I would not change for anything. Running around the woods and neighborhood bare feet is something that’s special only to those people that were doing it.
I sometimes think if I had known we were poor I would’ve thought differently about a lot of things, but since I didn’t that thought is countered by the fact that I learned to appreciate the things I had. Later in life, I knew the things I wanted were just a few jobs away, which meant if I wanted them bad enough I’d have to work for them.
Throughout my life, the things I’ve learned have come directly from my life experiences. The older me could speak to the younger me of outcomes from the way I lived, but experience makes the best teacher, as the lessons learned through living first hand are not so easily forgotten.
I think the main thing I’d tell my younger self is to be present in life! Meaning, truly live life as if tomorrow is not promised. Slow down and pay attention to things, people, and places you visit. Learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to go anywhere, do anything, or talk to anyone and everyone as all these experiences will make life so much richer and interesting! Money is one thing, experience is another, and could be said to be much more fulfilling!
