I am 42 today. It’s hard to believe, given that I feel 25. But I know my mother wouldn’t lie about the year I was born, so it must be true.
It occurred to me this morning, as I was shaking my middle-aged bootie in Zumba, that birthdays inevitably cause you to look back at the different chapters of your life, at what you’ve learned, and hopefully allowing you to gain perspective on your current situation. Thinking back over the last two decades in particular, I have some advice I would have liked to give myself at 22 that might have saved me from a lot of heartbreak.
The top ten things I would I tell myself at 22?
- Do not fret over if he will call or not. Instead make sure the line is busy by calling someone who loves you. Your self-worth is not measured by whether a man finds you attractive or not.
- Don’t waste your time kissing frogs. Your very own prince, the one who “gets” you is out on the horizon, searching for you.
- Enjoy your single life while you can: cherish your friendships, your wide-open bed and the books on the bedside table.
- Start writing that first novel.
- Exercise more.
- Do not lose contact with old friends. If you do, reach out and find them. They won’t be sorry to hear from you.
- Be as forgiving to yourself as you are to others.
- Have the courage to take more risks.
- Never give up on your dreams, no matter how ridiculous they might seem to yourself or others.
- Step inside a church. God is inside, waiting patiently for you.
Author Bio
Tess Hardwick is a writer, mother and dreamer. Her first novel, “Riversong” will be available in the spring of 2011. You can reach her at tesshardwick.com. Follow her at twitter - @tesshardwick.
