Advice on life

What’s your advice to someone who wants to live a long, happy and meaningful life? -Dottie.
P.S.
I am a really big fan of the Alice books! They’re simply Marvelous!!

Number one, always: KNOW YOURSELF.   And learn to love yourself, because, hopefully, you’ll be together for a long, long time.   Accept yourself.  Short, tall, gay, straight, outgoing, introvert….When young people tell me they worry that they will never find a partner because they don’t think they are pretty enough, strong enough, funny enough, smart enough, sexy enough….  Look around you! I want to say.  Have you ever noticed how so many couples look happy who you wouldn’t think would have chosen each other at all?   I also think that you can’t have happiness if life doesn’t have meaning to you.  By that I mean that if the sum of what you do with your life is to lie around a pool in a designer bathing suit with a Mercedes in the driveway, you are going to be bored, bored, bored.  Live a life so that if you were to die tomorrow, you would be missed.   Really missed.  The neighbor children would miss the way you played baseball with them; your boss would miss your willingness to take time to orient new employees; your choir director would miss your voice; your spouse would miss your tenderness and caring; the homeless shelter would miss your check…   Learn to use every talent you have both to validate yourself and bring happiness to others.