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Comment by ProAm | Hacker News Reader

It depends on how old you are. Life is funny and never turns our how you thought it would. I do like going back and reading the article "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" by Mary Schmich (popularized by Baz Luhrmann in the song 'Everybody's Free') from time to time[1]

[1] (snippet)

> Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded

> But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked… You are not as fat as you imagine Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum

> The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday

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I'm 47, a father of two, happily married to high school sweetheart, about to send first kid off to college. I also found the article very sad: not even a pet to cuddle. :-(

But, the piece is well written and I don't think the author is sad, nor asking for sympathy.

So I'm conflicted in how I feel about it. The author also seems conflicted about whether she wants a man in her life.

Their life seems to be a journey and direction different from the norm, yet they seem to be fairly ok with it.

It also seems like they'd be pretty unhappy if they'd had a life like yours (father of two ...), more because it's not suitable for them rather than there anything being wrong with it.

Overall, seems like an interesting - and potentially useful reminder that "it takes all kinds to make the world go around". ;)

>The author also seems conflicted about whether she wants a man in her life.

The way I read it, it seemed very much like she was an independent woman who really didn't have any great yearning for a close relationship with a man. There's a lot of women out there like that, and honestly, we'd all be a lot better off if they would just admit this to themselves, and stop looking for boyfriends/husbands and just look for casual relationships instead. Someone like that isn't going to be a good relationship partner, and then is going to cause a lot of emotional devastation for some unlucky man.

I read this article and saw only a wistful look back at the past, contrasting with her life now. I didn't detect any sort of sadness. I read her coming to the realization that she's happy as she is, a single woman in her forties.

This article actually made me feel really good but I am a divorced woman of 40. It's nice to see other women in the same situation enjoying life without feeling the need to partner up again. Some of us were just made to be solitary creatures.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-schmich-su...

Sadly not available in the EU, so I can't even confirm the link isn't broken. If it's not, that's the original column, titled "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" from 1997 by Mary Schmich, on which the song was based :)

Yes! You are correct. Baz did the song, but Mary wrote the original. I always forget that. I'll change my post.

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