What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?

There is never only one thing that would have saved anyone’s younger self pain and emotional loss.  Trying to prioritize the errors of youth is an impossible task as an older adult.  Decades seem to be characterized by their own errors of judgment.  The twenties were a restless era, moving and moving, marrying and divorcing, and pursuits of various academics. The thirties were spent trying to have children.  The forties were devoted to raising children and getting advanced  degrees and professional advancement. The fifties were saturated with the pain of a failed relationship and being a single parent. As life progressed, moving and new relationships were part of maturity and reflection.  These years of retirement are each a new experience, with little new pain, yet.

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