Postcards To Younger “Arts”
The Rules:
I will only send back generalized advice and encouragement. I will be very careful that my words will not cause Younger Art to choose different life paths than the ones he has already chosen. I am happy that my life has brought me to where I am today. Each section is a separate post card sent just to the Art of that age.
Art Before Age 8
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To Art’s teacher: We both know that Art can’t read yet, that he has no math yet either. Both of these things will come to him in the fullness of time. I know that you and the other teachers who found Art in their classrooms did the best they could for him, but we both know that he needed a massive one-on-one intervention to succeed. He will receive the help he needs, in time. Would you please read this note of encouragement to him? Thanks, Art at age 74.
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Hello to my younger self. I am writing to give you advice and encouragement.
I know you have only fragments of memory from your earliest life. I know that you have not yet learned to read, so I have asked your teacher to read this note from your future self to you.
I remember the journey you are now on. Sadly, your parent’s marriage was doomed from the start. Not your fault and nothing you could do to change that. I know that you’re being shuffled around, from one extended family to the next. Eventually, you’ll be left with an elderly Aunt & Uncle. You will stay there for a year, then be handed off to become a ward of the state, in foster care.
It will seem like each step just makes things worse, and that is true enough. I am writing to tell you it will get better. The foster home will be the worst. And then you will receive a Sign. It will be sudden and beautiful. You will not understand it, but you will see that there is a Higher Beauty. Trust that sign.
Take each day as it comes. Do your very best. Just when it looks darkest, someone will help you. You will find people who love you. Just hang in there a bit longer.
Art At Age 8
Hi Art, it’s your future-self writing again. I know it is a big adjustment, fitting into your new home. Your new parents know what you need - and - you know what they need. Together you will build a strong and stable family.
Stay open to all that Stan and Clara offer you. Be courageous in exploring this new life. Be courageous in meeting new people, in making friends. Which reminds me - we need to talk about bullies.
I know you are already getting bullied, at recess, by a boy named Charles. This is where Stan’s firm belief in a rigorous regimen of chores comes into play. At first, you could barely swing that 8-pound wood splitting maul. But now, you’ve split and stacked a few cords of wood, and you’re in the middle of a growth spurt. When you return to school, you will be a lot bigger, and a lot stronger than you were last year...
When the time comes, you will react instinctively. Follow that instinct, swiftly and without hesitation. It will take two teachers to pull you off him. He’ll be bloody and you will end up in the principal’s office. Deal with the consequences openly and honestly. This will be your first lesson in the true nature of bullies and in how to deal with them.
Remember that Higher Beauty? It is all around you now. When you see a new landscape, explore it. Stan will show you how to do it. Clara will introduce you to entire new worlds, as she gives you the gift of reading. Push them both to satisfy your need to learn more about everything. They will respond. And they will love you for it.
I know that you will like some classes in school better than others. Make a real effort in all of your classes. This will be a sign of respect and gratitude to your parents. It will also help you to open the doors to a future you cannot imagine. Yes, it will be a good future, but you must work hard to get there.
Tween Art
Hello again, it’s your future-self writing. By now you’re growing at a ferocious rate. And you are entering a new stage of your life: adolescence. I just wanted to warn you about something wonderful, but also a little overwhelming - a new emotional state, you have not yet experienced.
It will hit you suddenly and unexpectedly. It will feel like a hammer blow from God. It will be so strong, so intense that it will linger for decades. Don’t worry, it is a completely normal thing, a design feature of the interactions between human males and females. It will be your first taste of the true power of women. And believe me, you will know it when it happens. It is called a “Crush”. All you can do is work your way through it. Nothing to worry about, and good luck!
Teen Art
Future self here. Thought I’d check in again. You’ve come a long way. It’s not just your body that is growing and changing. Your brain is exploding, with new interconnections every day. It will feel like everything is in constant flux, because, for you and all your peers, it is. Rely on the anchor of your family to keep steady in these turbulent waters. Just a couple of things to talk about.
You will be confronted, out of the blue, by another bully. He will show up with a couple of his “friends” and announce his intention to beat you up. By now the lessons of how to handle bullies are well set in your mind. I will just say that your instincts will serve you well again and it will be clear exactly how to quickly conclude the matter. Stay frosty.
And now, you find yourself awkwardly balanced, in that halfway state between childhood and being an adult. You are not yet a man, but you are no longer just a boy either. You’ve noticed that the girls in your class have morphed from being merely pretty, to being hauntingly beautiful. I know you are very shy around them but do your best to interact with them (they are only human, after all).
Your 17th year will be...worth the wait. Today, I think of 17 as a “year of miracles”. Be open and honest in your dealings with these Beautiful Ones. They will appreciate it when you are. In the Spring of your 17th year, you will meet someone...
Art At U.V.M.
Greetings from Art of the future. You made it to the University of Vermont.
You saved enough to pay for a year and a half of school. You’ll need to take a work-study job and some college loans to pay for the rest of it. It will take you 10 years to pay off those loans, so take your studies seriously.
Your first year will be hard. The shock of living with so many people, in such a compact space, coupled with overwhelming homesickness will almost be too much for you, but you will make it through. Work hard and you will succeed.
Set aside any distractions at UVM that may interfere with your studies. Well, all those distractions, save one. There will be a certain girl in your Paleontology class. You’ll suddenly find yourself in the most interesting dance with this young woman. She will be the one distraction that will be well worth your time.
Art After Graduation
Future Art, with congratulations on your graduation. But you are not done with your studies yet. Years from now, you will get another degree from Vermont Tech. You’ll never really stop learning new skills, and they will serve you well.
Now comes the working part of your life. Your job journey will span some 40 years. Your work will take you from cab driver, to photographer, to programmer and software tester.
You will learn much about human nature, and about yourself.
One last thing. Start saving for retirement right away. Setting aside, even a small amount, on a regular basis, is enormously important.
Just Retired Art
You retired at 60! No small achievement. Now is the time for all those things you never had the time to do.
Spend as much time as you can with Laurie. Do all those foolish, irresponsible, fun things you both love so much. Watch bad movies. Read trashy, comedic detective stories. Take secret road trips and have secret adventures. Entertain friends and family. Spend time on the water, bird watching, fishing, watching turtles sunning on logs. Garden until there is just no more room for new flowers. Then make even more room for new flowers. Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.
The day may come when you’ll need to seek Peace. Walk and walk and walk - in dusty August sunshine, on dirt roads bounded with the delicate pastel greens of new growth, in fog and rain, in the blizzards raging, let Creation sweep you clean. Old friends, and new, will walk with you. Pray for guidance from that Higher Beauty that first lit the darkness for you so very long ago. It will still be there for you when you need it most. Peace.
Just beautiful.