Dear Margot 

Here are five life lessons I’ve accumulated over the years. I hope they will help you become happy and healthy when you grow up. There are many more life lessons, but just remember these and you’ll be ok:

Love is a really big word. It doesn’t just mean falling in love, (which is rather nice), it means loving your family, your friends, other people, strangers, and most importantly, yourself. Love has no limits, it has the power to heal, to bring hope, and happiness, and to make the rainiest days feel bloody brilliant. Love doesn’t cost anything, it isn’t rationed or in short supply. You can’t use it up, so don’t be stingy with it and spread it around a bit. That said, be nice but don’t be stupid. Even generosity has limits.

Be a gardener. Treat the world like you’re staying at a friend’s big, posh house. Don’t shit on the carpet, or throw your mess all over the place. Look after it and it will reward you with the most incredible free gifts. When you are unhappy, grow something.

Education, education, education. It is the best chance you’ve got of becoming who you want to be. You weren’t born with privilege, you’ve got to get there on your own. This means you’ll have to study hard and be resilient. You’ve got this. You can do it. Never stop believing in yourself.

Don’t get tangled up in your own thoughts. Look outwards, not inwards. When you spend too much time inside your own head, you become anxious and unhappy. If you’re anxious, go outside. Meet people, join a club, listen to music, dance. You, like the rest of us, are a bundle of desires and fears. If you’re not careful you’ll get tangled up in them and you’ll become sad and confused. You can’t avoid pain, and pleasures are never satisfied. Search for equanimity instead. If you don’t know what that means, Google it.

Make art. Write, draw, paint, sculpt, photograph, engineer, act, make music, sing, dance, imagine, invent, play. Make art. Make a mess. I’ve learned a lot of things about a lot of subjects, and none are more important than creating things. You don’t have to be good at it. Just enjoy it. 

All my love

Grandad x