A Close & Dear Loved One sent me some old Polaroids of a few other Close & Dear Loved Ones. Glimpses of a time and place now long gone. One photo was a younger version of me, decades younger. I look pretty fresh. Not sure if I ever saw that photo before. I also look a bit surprised and bemused. Expectant?
What would my Future/Now Self tell my Past/Then Self?
Here goes:
"Don't worry. The future is not what you think it's gonna be. Nothing is gonna be what you think it's gonna be. So maybe don't think about it too much. You really don't know what Life is, and the questions you have about Life and Yourself and Others too, are just going to multiply as you go. The Mystery of it all will deepen. Try to take it slow. Time rushes by in a blur. Pay attention to all the little details. Keep your eyes open. Lots to take in. The details, the little things that you don't think are important, actually are important. Most of what you think you know is wrong. Don't worry about it. Most of the decisions you make are gonna be wrong too. Maybe, instead of "trusting your gut," try flipping a coin? I mean it's sounds crazy, but really the coin-flipping is probably just as good as anything. Be yourself. Don't worry about what others think of you, or what you think other people think you "should do." There is no "should do." Do what you do, but, I mean, really do it to the max. Own it. Be alive & awake in the moment. Those moments, everyone of the moments of your life are precious. They roll out really fast. One day you wake up and realize long stretches of your life now exist only in your head. All you have from the past are stray memories, long-lost photos. Remember: You will lose just as much as you gain. That's OK. I mean, that's Life..."