There’s no football this week, well no Georgia football this week. But I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with having a guest do my job for me on Friday – I am, like the Dude, a lazy man. In fact, in an effort to improve the quality of writing here at A Free Man, I’m thinking of inviting a weekly guest poster after the football season ends, probably on Tuesdays when I spend the day with Boy Z.

This week, I’m happy to have one of my favorite lady bloggers holding down the fort. She’s got every teenage boy’s dream job and is the mother of my future daughter-in-law but beyond that, she’s one of the sharpest writers around. If you’re not reading her blog then you should be. I hope y’all will give a warm welcome to Chris from Formerly Fun who has managed to nicely fit into 90’s week:

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When Chris asked me to guest post of course I said yes and went about thinking about what I would write. He gathers a pretty intelligent crowd, many of whom are parents, so I thought I might expound on a recent fixation of mine, the consumerization of children. Of course, maybe you dear readers need a break from the serious and would rather hear about my days as a Brazilian bikini waxer. Still, this site, while not highbrow, maintains a certain standard that no doubt precludes talking about the ins and outs of chacha waxing.

Later, I got a second email from Chris narrowing my choices, the theme would be 1995. 1995? Color me stumped, I didn’t know what to write. In 1995, I was twenty-one, finishing my last year of college. I had taken the LSAT and scored in the top 7%* in the country, I had limitless options as far as law schools went but I could not get my head around whether or not I actually wanted to be a lawyer. Did I want to travel? Tired of being poor, should I get a job? I know one part of me wanted to write, even then, however, in my family “artistic” pursuits got shelved for “real jobs”. I never really thought it was an option. I had so many people telling me what I should and shouldn’t do that I couldn’t hear myself think.

I look back to those days, really not that long ago and hardly recognize myself. Those were probably some of the most difficult days for me, that tumultuous transition between childhood and adulthood. Not legal adulthood mind you, but adult in the sense that you truly take care of yourself and make your own decisions. I was terribly unsure of myself back then. I was still living under the roof of my very opinionated mother, running almost every decision past her because I didn’t trust myself. I was, and continue to be, the extroverted introvert. Shy and slightly uncomfortable in social situations, being funny and gregarious is my defense mechanism to overcome that anxiety. I only appear socially adept.

I thought about how much of what I know now I wish I had known then. I imagine sitting down with my twenty-one year old self. What would I tell her if I had the chance? How could I better prepare her? I’m sure the things I’d say will continue to evolve, but at thirty-five, this is what I’d pass along.

  1. You are not the only one who is insecure and unsure of yourself, in this regard, you are just like everyone else which should be comforting.
  2. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed about being smart, later on you’ll find the best men like the smart girls.
  3. You need some breathing room away from your family to figure out who you are and what you want.
  4. With regard to said family, just so you know, they’re not always right.
  5. Tennis? Volleyball? Ballet? So what if you’re hopelessly uncoordinated? Especially since really, you’re not, your just so self conscious that you get yourself all torqued up and forget how to move your body. These are things you want to try, so what if you look silly, what do you care? Guess what? Most people are too self-absorbed to care what you’re doing anyway.
  6. Stop being so afraid of failing. You think half the people out there are misguided and misinformed anyway so why do you care what they think?
  7. You think you’re not pretty and you need to figure out why you think that because it’s not true.
  8. Go easy on the carbs and you’ll lose that babyfat. Stop eating salads with ranch dressing and cheese, in spite of what you think, this is not going to help you lose weight and frankly, it tastes awful.
  9. Your parents can only give you the tools they have so you are not going to be armed with everything you need. Some things you’ll figure out the hard way, other tools you can get through some keen observation, the latter is far easier.
  10. You got the short straw in the dad department. His behavior has absolutely nothing to do with you. You don’t deserve it, you didn’t do anything to cause it. You are not difficult to love and in time, you will figure out how to trust men again.
  11. With regard to men, you seriously have to expect more.
  12. That thing you do, you know the thing I’m talking about, you need to stop doing it on the first date.
  13. Get yourself a good therapist(see #9 & #10, and really, probably #11 & #12 too)
  14. Clean up those eyebrows already, bushy brows are so 1995.
  15. One word, sunscreen.
  16. Quit smoking today.
  17. Trust your gut. Whether it’s school, men, friends, you know more than you think you do.

*I never actually attended law school so that 7% is the sum of my bragging rights.

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This Green Day track was Chris’ choice and I think I see why. “Dookie” came out in ‘95 and I love it now as much as I did then – it’s just masterful pop-punk. Buy the album from Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle or, even better, your local independent record store.

 
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