Now That I’m Over 50 — I Would Love to Have Coffee With My 25-Year-Old Self
But I wouldn’t have the wisdom I want to share without the mistakes I made
It’s the perfect paradox. I wish I could share the wisdom I have now with my younger self, yet that wisdom came from the mistakes I made. So, without the mistakes, I’m not sure I’d have anything important to say to that younger version of myself.
There’s a picture of my son and me on a beach when I was 25. I’m slim, tanned, and long-legged, and he’s a rambunctious toddler. It’s that magical time of day just before evening when the sun, waves, and saltwater have worked their magic and tired out the adults and kids in the best possible way. We are sitting with our feet touching, both of us with our heads thrown back in laughter, kicking each other with water.
If I concentrate hard enough, I can hear the perfect innocence of his squeals of laughter. To that mom in that picture, who was worried about how imperfect she looked in a swimsuit, I would say,
“It doesn’t matter. The little boy and his dad, who took the picture, don’t care. They’ve never cared. They care about the smile on your face that reaches all the way to…
