These are strange times for sure and it is affecting both young and
old alike. In fact, I doubt there is a single person on earth that hasn’t
been affected in some way by this ongoing worldwide plague.
For example, last week my 21-year-old grandson graduated from
Northern Arizona University. We had planned to drive out there and stay a
few days to watch the graduation ceremony and to celebrate his accomplishment.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a graduation ceremony for any of the students and
that’s such a shame. I know my grandson, Jared, worked really hard to graduate in
only four years, so I wish our family could have come together to show him how
proud we are of him.
But since that wasn’t possible, I decided that I should at least write
him a letter. I want him to know I’m proud of him,
especially since I never finished college myself so I know how hard college can
be. But I would also like to give him some advice as he begins his journey out
into the real world. It cannot be easy for any young person to be job hunting
right now and that’s just one of a hundred hurdles that Jared will have to
negotiate as he ventures forth. But what wisdom can a 65-year-old man impart to
his grandson that will really help? What have I learned… that I would like to
share… with someone I love?
Before I list my advice, I just want to say that I think young
people are facing a much different world than I did in the mid-1970s. So I decided to distill my advice down
to a few simple suggestions that could apply to any generation. Here they are.
· You should only drink
champagne twice in your life, when you’re in love and when you’re not.
· When driving always weave
a little and the other cars will stay away from you.
· If you see a bear in the
woods and you don’t have time to run, hug it because bears cannot scratch their
stomachs.
Okay… sorry… just kidding. My real advice to my
grandson is below.
Simple Advice for Life
1. Decide
for yourself who you are and what you stand for, and then write it down and
refer to it often.
2. Stay
in touch with family and friends and do your best to always do right by them.
3. Be
honest in your work, fair to those you work for, and good to those you work
with.
4. Avoid debt like the plague. Once you start down that slippery
slope, it’s hard to stop.
5. Commit
to being healthy and remember “all things in moderation” is a great motto.
6. Practice
patience, which is especially hard when you’re young, but it will keep you from
making a lot of mistakes.
7. If
you meet someone who is so awesome that there is absolutely no way that they
could ever love you, but somehow they do, then and only then is it okay to consider
getting married. Otherwise, stay single!
8. Communication is the single most important factor for success in
any relationship.
9. Humility is an extremely attractive trait. Arrogance never will
be.
 |
| Jared begins the ultimate journey |
Advice
is what we ask for when we already know the answer...
but wish we didn’t.
but wish we didn’t.
~ Erica Jong
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