-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [silk] What You Learn in Your 40s
Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 14:11:50 -0400
From: Bruce A Metcalf <[email protected]>
To: Udhay Shankar N <[email protected]>
Udhay Shankar N <[email protected]> wrote:
> This is a fun list. Please add your own discoveries here.
I've turned 60 this year; here's hoping my remarks are 1.5 times as good:
You can be anything you want -- but you cannot be everything you want.
With every good thing comes a price, and the wise man will consider it
before choosing.
Authors and filmmakers are generally more impressive on paper or
screen than in real life. Don't blame them, they don't have a chance
to edit real life.
Actors and celebrities tend to fall into two camps: Those who wish (at
least occasionally) to be treated as normal people; and those who
don't believe they are normal people. Entertain the wishes of the
former to thank them; evade the latter regardless.
It's okay to just have fun sometimes. In fact, it's necessary for
mental health.
Spend time with old friends now, while you still can. Spend time with
young friends now, while you still can.
You can't fix everything. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try, only
that you be sure that you will find enough satisfaction in making the
effort, and are not fixated on some result.
It is better to deal with causes than with symptoms.
Let me close with my favorite quote from Cicero: "If I have a library
and a garden, I have all that I need."
Regards,
Bruce
