What I Always Tell The Girls

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“I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if you never take it seriously, you never get hurt, you never get hurt, you always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.” – Penny Lane, Almost Famous

I always tell the girls that they should go for it if they feel something, anything. How many real connections do we make with people in a lifetime? They seem few and far between if we really think about it. So I tell them to go for it, because who knows where things could go? And what have they got to lose?

I always tell the girls they need to compromise but never settle. Because the right person is out there – whether it’s the right person for a lifetime or the right person, right now. Life is short anyway, and it’s better to be happy by yourself, than to be miserable with the wrong person.

I always tell the girls that they are great the way they are. That sure, we can all use tweaks here and there. But if they are doing the best they can and being the best they can be, they might always still need to change. But not necessarily for one person, especially one who isn’t willing to change for them.

I always tell the girls that they are beautiful and smart and wonderful, if only they’d choose to show it. That they don’t need to compare themselves to anyone. That they are unique individuals, created to be different from everyone else around them; to love and be loved in their own way.

I always tell the girls to be kind, to be good, and to do the right thing. To be generous and patient with the people they find uninteresting. I tell them to give people who are not “their type” a chance, to never be cruel to someone who sincerely wants to know them, and to always put themselves in the other person’s shoes.

I always tell the girls that not everyone who they like and love, will like and love them back. And this has nothing to do with them – it’s just life; it’s how things are. I tell them that it sucks, it’s confusing, and sometimes it’s down-right embarrassing. But it also gives them humility and humanity, and reminds them that disappointments are often blessings in disguise.

I always tell the girls to be happy, to be warm, to be open – to love more, and to laugh more. To take pain in their stride, and to cherish all their wonderful daily miracles. Because before too long, life as we know it leaves us behind. And we’ll wonder why we didn’t take advantage of what we had, when we had it.

I always tell the girls that they will be fine; that they don’t have to worry too much about anything; that life has a funny way of making sure that we are okay. I always tell the girls to keep on keeping on, and to keep on surviving and thriving. But most importantly, I always tell the girls to tell other girls all these things too.