Many of my friends are findinng themselves tavelling on the same road as I to nowhere specificaly just hoping that this road we have chosen just happens to be the right one. But really, what are the chances of this? Slim to none I am beginning to fear. And it is not just my university friends that have found themselves in this boat (boat, boat!? I thought is was a road!? ...stay with me) Because of the recession, I see that so many of my friends are being forced on this road of uncertainity (goodness, I am full of the old cliche's today aren't I!?).
Having each and every person I know with a delightfully certain job telling me that 'something will come up, I just know it' is very sweet but sometimes, just sometimes, when my mood has taken a turn for the worse, I want to yell 'Go Do One! Of course YOU think something is going to come up. It bloody well did for YOU. So well done, YOU! Now piss off and let me sulk. At least for the length of an advert break anyway. You're too, too kind!' Of course I never do. I love my friends too much and they are only trying to be supportive and I don't want to alienate every one I know just because I can't seem to get a career sorted.
The Darling One and I are feeling incredibly lost at the moment and so I spent just a small section of my morning typing out the words to Baz Luhrmann's wonderfully uplifting song 'Wear Sunscreen' for her and sending them to her in small snippets. The Darling One said it made her day and I can say that typing out the words did put things into perceptive a little. Ok, so I don't have a teaching job (as of yet...see, I can remain positive, hahaa!) for September. So I have to put my NQT year on hold for a couple of months or even a year or so. Big frigging whoop! Will it make a massive difference to my life in the long run? No. It bloody won't.
So, for all of you out there that are feeling utterly lost and feeling complete despair at what your future may bring, have heart. You're not even remotely close to being alone. And here are the words that have kept me fighting today...
Ladies and Gentleman and the class of '99, wear sunscreen! If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they're the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you'll need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…
(note that I do not own these words. All rights are to the original owners and not me...)
Now if you don't mind I'm off to dance around the living room. I have the direction, but I'm not following them. That's just the way I role. My niece is looking at me somewhat terrified. She has no idea *sniggers at the thought* ....
(Oh here you go, you lot...here's a link to the song via the marvellous YouTube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwVVpwBKUp0&feature=related ..but don't say I never give you anything)
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