What would I say to Meri Version 1? What advice would I give my younger self?
One thing I remember about “Meri Version 1” was that she was an intrepid seeker of failure, so whatever advice I have to offer, she probably won’t take it on. She’d want to work it out alone.
I was thinking about this “advice for the young folks” idea today because four of my children are young adults now and I have so many learnings that I’d like to endow them with.
Why?
Perhaps to help them avoid the same stumbling blocks.
Perhaps to energetically encourage them to enrich their life experience – to have an insatiable appetite for new experiences, new people and new feelings.
I also know that they are all on their own trajectories, so I have to be judicious about which pearls of wisdom I throw into the mix (and when to throw them).
One of my sons lives in Melbourne and another son will be joining him soon. I have a bunch of great friends and contacts there and connecting people is one of my favourite things to do. I keep thinking about how much my friends’ lives and experiences would teach my sons and I’m greedy for the boys to have those connections. But I know my sons have to want that for themselves.
And they probably don’t wanna hang out with their Mum’s mates, do they?
So I’ll have to stick to the odd guiding light with the children and keep the advice for myself.
So what IS my advice to Meri Version 1 anyway?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The younger me felt it was impolite to ask anyone anything at all. Now I know how enjoyable people find being asked about their lives and experiences, and how much fun it is to hear their answers.
Never regard yourself as superior or inferior to another human being. The best connections happen when confident humility strikes up a mutual respect.
Human connection is all that really matters. That’s what I’d tell my younger self. Work on that and the rest will work itself out. For my children, I hope they already have a sense of that anyway.
Oh, and that I should never try blonde again.
