Dear Younger Me. You never told me about this thing called getting older. I guess that’s fair, though. There are a lot of things I never told you, either, and I feel kind of bad for that. I guess I’ll just tell them to you now. Listen up, Younger Me, this is the “good stuff.”

Tell Mom and Dad how much you loved them, even when you were mad. I know it’s hard when you’re still at the table two hours after dinner with cold peas on the plate. Just eat them and hug Mom for making you dinner. She needs to hear that. Trust me, the peas will not kill you.

You didn’t know it, but Dad was in the garage all those nights you wanted to play catch making trailers, painting cars, and building things to make extra money for you, Mom and Big Brother. He never said much, but that was his way of saying “I love you.” Make sure to let him know that you understand. He needed to hear that.

To the 20’s me, don’t buy the sports car. It’s dumb and immature and in spite of the new attention from the girls in the dorm, not worth it. Set that money aside for a rainy day. Believe me, you’ll need it later.

To the 30’s me, invest. You’re working hard with a new business…put some money aside and don’t touch it again! Like I’ve always told you, er…me, “short term sacrifice – long term benefit.” Buy Google…or Tesla. Also, do more fun things. You’re working too hard; learn to relax a bit, but stay away from the girl you just saw in a bar fight…she’s nothing but trouble!

To me from eight years ago, persevere. You will lose everything you own when you move to Las Vegas and must work your way up from the bottom. You will lose friends and family, but it will be worth it. Come anyway. You will lose everything again during Covid and have to work up from the bottom again. Come anyway, the magic is waiting for you.

Finally, my message to me today: Keep pushing and never ever give up. It will be worth it. Peace.