Well, Bloganuary has got off to an interesting start with its first prompt, and the blog posts are rolling in, inspired by this question:

I have not looked at my Bloganuary colleagues' posts yet, but we are all planning to comment/like/share of course, in the tradition of social media, and we won't forget the hashtags either!

So, what advice would I give? I am not good at "giving advice," although at my advanced age I have learned a thing or two and do try to guide young people in their endeavors. But I only dish out advice on request. Unsolicited advice is not usually welcome - at least, not to me!

Let's see. As a teen, I was not lovable. I was impatient, did not smile much, and took pleasure in being rebellious (a teenage cliché I know, but true of me). I had two "best friends": My dear S, considered "mature for her age," and A, who was a little more calm and loved The Doors as I did (OK, yes - that dates me!) They were both beautiful (and still are). I was S's accomplice - not as brave as her in our schoolgirl exploits, but supportive.

Me in training to become a guttersnipe.

Our history teacher once called us "guttersnipes." What a wonderful word. The definition online goes something like: "A scruffy and badly behaved child who spends most of their time on the street." Well, my dear parents would never have allowed me to hang out on the street, although the first part of this definition could perhaps have been applicable.

That's probably all you need to know about me as a teen. Looking back, I feel sorry that I gave my parents such a hard time.

Pre-teen angst.

Based on all of the above, my advice to teenage self would be:

  1. Slow down: You don't have to hurtle through life at breakneck speed.
  2. Following on from that, you don't have to have everything all at once. Some things can wait.
  3. Be kind. Like most teens, I was unbearably selfish and thought the Universe revolved around me.
  4. Explore your inner creativity and get to know yourself better.

That is basically it. When I was not being rebellious, I had my head buried in a book. Not much has changed in that respect, for me. However, I am still an impatient adult, although I have tried to learn...

So that might be my last piece of advice: Read more!

My love of reading persisted into adulthood! Just getting warmed up here.