Thoughtful Daily Post || October Prompt #3

Another month and another awesome prompt to continue the focus on thoughtfulness, and everything that personifies the energy we are trying to create, here in our community. This month's prompt kind of spoke to my heart... so I wanted to join in on the fun; my post will not be included in the final judging! So then... three pieces of advice. I can't help but be reminiscent of that old tale of finding a genie bottle and getting three wishes! Let's see what kind of journey we can take here!

"If you could go back in time and give your younger self 3 pieces of advice, what age would you choose to visit yourself at? What wisdom do you choose to impart, and why?"

Suppose I had wanted to give my younger self some advice. I'd have to travel back far enough to the time when I had not quite grown up yet., but knew about the "Birds and the Bees" and maybe how to change the TV channel; watching TV gives you all the information you need... right? I am sure you've all read enough of my babbling to remember that I was an only child, raised by grandparents (mostly women) who had been through the Great Depression. It didn't matter to me that I was always around older folks... I was loved, and always taken care of. So that concept never made me question things... unlike a lot of the younger folks these days. I was raised with manners, kindness, respect, and a strong sense of "right and wrong". There's nothing like getting a skinny twig up against your backside to make you think about the actions that you took. It wasn't hard enough to even mark your skin under your pants. But man did it sure make you think twice about your actions! So what's the advice I would give, you might ask?

Don't take anything for granted! While you are learning to eat dirt... learn how to ride your bike (and probably make some stupid insane ramps out of things around the yard, that cause you to become airborne, and probably crash LOL), or fall in love with your first Pet Rock. Your parents, or grandparents, are giving you the best moments of their lives. The adult in you is probably reading these words... nodding up and down... and thinking, "Gosh, Wes! You're right!". But as you already know... it's too late. Those precious moments have come and gone. Some of us are blessed to have our parents or grandparents still. Some of us are not so lucky. You can't really go back in time, sadly. Share this post with your young ones...

So... we can't fast-forward too far yet... right? Maybe just far enough to our teen years. We might have had our first crush... hadn't driven a car "yet", because that's too far forward! We want this advice to stick in... and we can't do that if we are still in that rebellion stage (not that I know what that even is). The adult me would tell this teen me... Make mistakes! Learn from them! Worry more about being you! Not what you "think" everyone else wants you to be. Remember when our parents always said that famous line... "If you're friends jump off the bridge, would you?". I actually read a great article by Chris Guillebeau where he was talking about this very concept... The main idea is this; don't just blindly follow the crowd. Think for yourself! That's all our parents were trying to say. Why, you might ask? Short answer... "Been there done that".

"When you were a kid and wanted to do something your parents or teachers didn’t like, you may have heard the question, “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you?”

"The idea is that it’s not good to do something stupid, even if everyone else does it. The logic is think for yourself instead of following the crowd."

So then... We have revisited our/my youth and teenage years... but you know that old saying; "We start our days as babies, and we end our days as babies". As my health continues to decline, I can really relate to this on many levels. One however, that has been a constant on my mind, can be explained in the post I made on April of this month; An update on my absence... The passing of a soul... This has been an ongoing situation, and I just returned from a week of trying to get things separated, categorized, kept, and yes... thrown away. How do you manage to take care of 30+ years of the lives of people... I don't know how I will ever truly be able to answer that. You see... we just spent four days trying to do just that. Organize all of my mother's things... here life partner's things that passed. As well as anything his two children (Son and Daughter) may have had in the house. I know what you are thinking... and you are right... 4 Days is not enough time... It does, however, lead me to my final thoughts...

Seems like a good creation of a new hashtag.,. #itstheish. Trending? Nah... I don't think so either. But you never know, right? I mean #thoughtfuldailypost #justsayin Ha! That's two! Anyway... As I have mentioned... those four days were not enough. Just like three wishes might not be enough. But we deal with the card we are dealt... yes? Everyone that knows me, knows all my sayings. One that fits in here would be... "It's not the situation. It's how you handle it". Easier said, than done... right? The main thing to remember here... you don't get three wishes! You have your life... You are a work in progress, from the day you are born until the day you return to the ground. If you have to think about these three wishes, then you have probably not lived your best life! Perhaps not really a third wish here... more like... "If I knew then what I know now". Take each day as it comes. Live your life, as if each day is truly your last... no regrets. A final wish you might ask? Never go to bed without telling everyone you love them... Simple really. Now if you will excuse me... I am going to find that Genie Bottle...

Love and Light, dear souls...

^{was here...}