- You’re going to make mistakes. Laugh at them rather than cry for more than a minute. The more embarrassing they are the funnier.
- Don’t apologize for everything. Make amends when possible. Move on.
- Don’t waste your time trying to make everyone love you. Move on if they don’t or if you don’t.
- Don’t worry about blemishes on you or anyone else. They go away. Wrinkles are coming!
- Don’t stop exercising as you age. Develop your arms as well as your legs.
- Stick with your educational plans. Get it done! Don’t give up! You got this girl!
- Love your brother. He’s your closest relative. Ask what he’s thinking. Listen.
- Don’t envy beautiful people. Their lives are not easy either.
- Be thankful. You’re alive. You have food, clothing, shelter, and a family that loves you.
#1stbloganuaryprompt, #bloganuary, #daily-prompt
My blogging friend, the Eternal Traveller wanted me to share my skating story written in 2012 and again in 2021 along with some advice about not falling, which I did about 2 months after the post.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
48 responses to “BLOGANUARY #1: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR TEENAGE SELF”
Skating? I think you made a hasty reference to that a few years back. I didn’t pickup on it. WoW! Jack grew up in New England where most of the young boys started skating while young. He’s very good. My legs aren’t strong enough. Yes. I can remember how impatient we were with mother when she insisted each Christmas that we take photos. I’ve put them all in an album, and I’m eternally grateful to her. Rest her soul.
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And you have some great pictures! Yes, I earned my Gold Medal or Gold Bar skating, which was as high as you could go. I wanted to be a professional skater at one time.
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Marsha, these are very wise words to your younger self! 😀 Oh, how younger us are always mortified at making mistakes only to realise much later that these are such precious, funny, moments that will live on through our stories!
I love the photo of you skating – looking quite the pro! Sorry to hear you’ve had a fall and hope all is okay.
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Thanks, Annika. I did have a fall, one of many in my life, but that wasn’t what caused me the problem. I tore my meniscus playing pickleball – just twisted my knee. Being immobile for a while caused me to develop deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. That was what did me in. Not that falling is great, but the two accidents happened about two weeks apart. You can imagine that as a skater, I fell quite a bit. LOL
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great pictures, and great advice to go along with it.
another piece of advice, one that you obviously followed, is to take lots of pictures, and save them!
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Yes, my dad was a semi-professional photographer as well as an engineer. Going on photo shoots with him was one of my favorite memories with him. However, I hated him taking pictures of me! I’m glad now that he did. 🙂
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Great advice Marsha
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I remember seeing that skating photo before. It was in the first post of yours I ever read and was all about your skating days. I laughed until I cried. Do you still have that post? You should post it again. It was brilliant.
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I do still have it. I’ll link it. Thanks, Carol. That’s probably why we became such good friends. I do make a lot of blunders. 🙂
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It was the best story ever but I think our friendship goes way deeper than that. 🙂
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Our friendship is amazing, one of a kind, unbeatable. We do go way deeper than that. 🙂
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I absolutely love this, Marsha. Great advice!
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Thanks, Donna. Are you doing Bloganuary too?
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All great advice, Marsha. KL ❤
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Thanks, KL. The truth is I probably wouldn’t have listened. I knew it all, you know!
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All great advice Marsha. I too was thinking along similar lines for this prompt. Love the pics too!
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I would have similar advice for my teenage self… I wonder if she would listen or just roll her eyes?
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Do you see those rolly eyes on that teenaged-me? I don’t think my words would have made much of a dent. I already knew it all! LOL
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As we would have said in those politically incorrect times, she’s got legs that go all the way up to her backside. 🙂
My variation on your last line would have been ‘You have food, clothing, shelter, and a family that will never understand you. Get out while you’re still alive.’ 😉
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LOL. I was lucky – we sort of did just that. My dad took those pictures, but he was there on vacation. The three of us left when I was 15. It was quite an adventure. But I ended up getting a B in spite of all that in Dad’s grading system at the end of his life. My husband and brother both got A’s and poor Mom got an F. She was devastated. The attorney laughed when he gave us dad’s binder diary. I have it still. Very funny in a very sad way!
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Yay, you hopped, rather skated, into the Bloganuary challenge, Marsha! Great advice! I’m waiting for Sunday’s prompt to see if it works for Sunday Stills, LOL!
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Now if I can skate through it, I’ll be okay. I’m still wondering if my trip will happen. Flights do not look too hopeful right now.
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Oh no! That omicron variant is flying around and easy to catch, even if vaccinated. If it’s not meant to be…. just be safe!
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I know. The last thing I want to do is catch it while I’m away. Vince cut out about a week ago, and I canceled two nights of hotel rooms. I have been fortunate so far not to catch it, but I’m wondering now why I thought it might be safe to fly in the winter. I should have listened to my advice to you! LOL!
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Yeah, you might want to save the trip for another time 😦
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Definitely. It was hard to do, but I’m relieved. 🙂
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Good idea! You won’t regret it!
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I won’t. I felt relief as soon as I made the decision.
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Wonderful advice ❤️
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Thanks, Willow. You’d make a great daughter. I’m not sure I would have listened. I can hear me saying, but you made it and you did all those things wrong.” I was a bit of a smart alec. 🙂
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Lol we are all guilty of that. My problem was I wanted to please everyone all the time…. I ended up being bullied…finally I’ve learned! 💜💜💜
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I’m glad you learned. I got my feelings hurt so much. Mom said she just didn’t feel as much as I did. She probably didn’t. I was super sensitive. I think I grew out of it somewhat after my dad died. I was 36 by then.
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I was in my forties before I learned I was not a door mat. We all get there in the end. 💜💜💜
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What made you turn the corner, or should I ask? I’m so glad you did. You are such a lovely person.
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My parents had passed on , I was having a shaky relationship with my hubby and I suddenly thought …no more . So I answered back , stood up for myself . Still with hubby and things are so much better now all round. We’ve been married 50yrs as of last August!
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WOW! that is so amazing, Willow. I had to learn that also. My husbands were not abusive by any means, but I tended to take their opinion over mine and I finally quit creating problems for myself. Children of narcissists often have issues like ours.
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Yes indeed that’s so true. It’s so good to know we both made it through 💜💜
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Yay!
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😉
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Thank you for saying such a kind thing about me .❣️
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oh love this Marsha.. so cute of you in the pics and good advice!💖
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You notice that I’m not listening, though. I just want to get out of there. Dad is probably saying something live move closer together. You can tell Randy just did or said something naughty or silly. Mom’s expression is priceless. 🙂
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And what might that have been… that you were fast to leave? Priceless is right 😂
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Probably that Dad was telling us to do something or that Randy was trying to be funny and I was disgusted with both of them. I probably WAS in a hurry to get where we were going. And I hated having my picture taken. LOL. I wasn’t the most patient person in the world. 🙂
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You, skating? Love it! Happy New Year, Marsha!
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I thought I was going to grow up to be a professional skater at one time. I loved it.
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This is so very sweet 😀 😀
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Thanks, Cee. You can see I wasn’t too happy with having my picture taken and the whole family thing. I’m glad now I have it. I don’t have very many.
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