A good question

The current writing prompt in my writing group is, what would you tell your younger self. I believe one  of the most important things is to believe in yourself, no matter what anyone else tells you. So often we suffer all of our lives because of the opinions of others when we were young. We also blame ourselves for things that were never our responsibility in the first place. If that isn't bad enough we then pass it on to our children. How do I know this? It is the story of my life.

In doing some research I found a quote that also fits this prompt. It is: Collect experiences not possessions. It reminded me of when my mother died. It took ten days to go through what she had collected in her apartment. When I got home the first thing I did was get rid of things I no longer needed. My oldest son moved back home five years ago. When he moved in his belongings fit in a single moving van. Now I think it would take at least two to do the job. I know people who pay to store things they do not have room for. Who needs all that baggage?

Another bit of advice I would give my younger self is to appreciate everyone who comes into your life. We are all teachers and students and you never know what experience that next person will bring you.