3 Lessons From a 75 Year Old to Save Your 20s
Trust me, they saved mine
When I was 25, I moved back to my hometown of Brooklyn, NY to take a job managing an art gallery. I was broke and a bit broken after three or so post-grad years bouncing from temp job to temp job and failed relationship to failed relationship. This felt like I was finally becoming an adult — a frazzled, unnerved, and weary adult. No one tells you what adulthood is really like and it’s not for the faint of heart.
However, just when all seemed like an overwhelming shit show, I met Jacqui. She was a 75-year-old curator and community art historian. She was a whirlwind — a force of nature — and three times my age. She saw right through my keeping-it-together-veneer and set out to actually help me get “it” together. She took me under her vast wing. She mentored me both personally and professionally. In the end, she was more than a mentor. She was a friend.
During our friendship, she taught me three important lessons that helped to save me from myself in my 20s and if I am honest, well into my 30s.
1. Advocate for yourself
She would tell me often “You cannot advocate for anyone else if you haven’t learned to advocate for yourself!”
