What message would you give your younger self?

I didn’t want to answer that question, the topic for conversation at a recent lunch. My naïve teenage self knew little of life beyond my farming community, and the whole world has changed incredibly since then. Specific advice from my work as a writer or my griefs and gratifications as an adult would have meant little to me then.

Reluctantly I dredged up five general observations that might have helped me 70 years ago.

1. Life is a learning process. Growth doesn’t stop in our twenties, or even fifties. You never know enough to consider your education complete. Respect the past, live in the present, anticipate the future.
2. You will go places and do things you can’t imagine—and not do things you take for granted will be part of your future.
3. Don’t let fear stop you from pursuing opportunities in both your professional and your personal life.
4. Friends will become as close as family. You will enjoy and value family members more as an adult, but you will share the most with those you choose to embed in your life.
5. A life without failure lacks adventure. If you try only those games or jobs or relationships in which you’re sure to succeed, you stunt your growth.

And my advice to myself on my 85^th birthday: It ain’t over ’til it’s over.

—Carolyn Mulford