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5.04.2012

i'm still working on my own "letter for our daughters"

two days ago i posted this. about this. i'm working on my own letter right now. and this is what i got so far: 


... there's no such thing as perfect. it doesn't exist.


you don't owe a man love simply because he loves you. you don't choose who you love. you will fall in love for better or for worse mostly against your will. what you do with that love--that will be the choice, yes. but don't attempt to give love to a man simply because you think you should.


should. a mostly terrible, unhelpful word. get rid of it. throw it out. eradicate it from your vocabulary. and build a vocabulary. be better read than the person next to you. intelligence is not a liability. don't apologize for what you know or how you know it. 


you're going to have some bad first kisses in your life. and then, when you least expect it there will come one that undoes you in a long, gentle whoosh. head to toe. it doesn't mean you'll marry this man or even see him again. it means it was one. hell. of a kiss.


real power doesn't ever diminish another person. your success doesn't mean another person's failure.


there's going to come a day when you're skiing and the conditions are less than ideal and there's more ice on the slope than you know what to do with and so you give up a little control and your turns will be smaller and you'll be moving faster than ever before and you'll find that actually, oh, this is where control lives. take this metaphor with you into the world--take this lesson. but be brave enough to give up in the first place. 


figure out what you love and never apologize for it.


loving yourself and investing in that love does not make you self-centered or an egoist or too proud. it makes you about as smart as you can ever hope to get in this life. that love becomes the well-spring of faith and empathy and imagination and boundless courage...




thing is, i want to know what you all would write. in fact the blog exists primarily because of reader submissions, so why not write your own? i sure as hell would love to read it. 

20 comments:

Andrea said...

"Fear not..."

xo

Heather said...

the past will haunt, but you can't let it linger. the most wonderful things really do come when you least expect/aren't looking for it.
change can be just as refreshing as always having what you want (which never happens, no matter what people seem to have you believe)

Sara said...

"you don't choose who you love" ...yes

valerie said...

i love this SO much, megs. XOXO.v

Harley said...

i definitely want to write my own.

Erin said...

"you will fall in love for better or for worse mostly against your will." and it will be worth it.

Jackie Norris said...

Gosh, that is so incredibly inspiring. Your future daughter will be blessed to have such an insightful and wise mother.

Alex said...

hot damn, meg.

Anonymous said...

The one up there now (7) I wrote :) I saw it because of you!

Sophie said...

Ooh, I might have to write one. Wonderfully done. This blog just makes me happy.

Kiersten said...

Your letter is beautifully written....
Although I'm not anywhere NEAR being a mother, a friend of mine is, and this makes me want to write her child a letter...
<3 Kiersten

Anonymous said...

I would say to my daughter, beware of molesting bosses - they run rife in Australia. Particularly of the balding variety. And beware of guys with classical music as their phone ringtone - same deal. Losers

Anonymous said...

Here, here anonymous. They usually have names like Ian or Neil. They are usually incompetent in their profession (Peter Principle). They have a really dull dress sense - usually dockers and a pizza hut tablecloth checkered shirt. And ridiculously expensive shoes that don't match the rest of their clothing at all - but everyone knows how much he paid for his shoes. Again - losers.

Rachel said...

Here's my response to your letter:
http://bornlikethat.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/letters-to-our-daughters/

Sierra @ Sierra's View said...

Wow. You just inspired me to write a letter to my future daughters. thank you.

WhiteSeasons said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
blackcatbaby said...

Funny - my blog today was about things that I know and I've learned...
http://blackcatbaby-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/05/power-or-perception.html
Love the above post btw, great job! -xo-

Anonymous said...

You don't become who you are meant to be when its easy. Oh no, defining moments of character are only made when its hard. Cry in the bathroom at work, sleep through the next year, jump in the car and keep on driving HARD. But when its over you will be grateful that you never gave in. Humbled by how tough took you from nobody to somebody. Because people who have it easy? Well no one remembers them.

Unknown said...

This letter is absolutely perfect. You are a very talented writer and I love your raw honesty. Thank you.

Tiffany said...

This is beautiful! I love these letters you are writing and might just have to take you up on the invitation to write my own!

~Tiffany
http://tiffanyd22.blogspot.com