Letter to Lilly

Lilly, congratulations upon your graduation. In a year that has seen a review of the Great Depression, 1918 Flu Epidemic, and the Race Riots of the 1960's it has been quite the threshold into adulthood. And the year is but half over, one wonders what other great calamities await us all in the second half of the year. But for now there is a pause and it is a time to celebrate as best we can the closing of one door and the opening of another.

Education is best looked upon as a bootcamp, myriad trials and mental marches where teachers and peers prepare you for the long slough of life. Some will teach you what to do and others are a reminder of what not to do. Only 10% of what you learn, you will actually use as an adult. So choose the right 10% to remember.

And the endless ladders where you get that 1^st step and gradually pull yourself to the top, only to find another ladder. Kindergarten was the 1^st step into grade school. Then came middle school and finally high school. But wait now there college and its rungs. Then comes your career and its rungs. Same with relationships – another ladder to be climbed one rung at a time, learning and growing as you progress. If you stay stationary then you will grow stale, but if you continue to push yourself and grow then it becomes a continuous improvement project where you become the best Lilly that you can be.

I think that your choice of veterinary medicine as a major in college is a wise one. You don't have to listen to your patients complain as a doctor would. They might howl a bit though. The one thing that I can recall from being on that college campus was that they would play 'Old Rocky Top' at every opportunity. You will either learn to love it or hate it by the end of your time there.

Old people are great at giving advice. It is learned from a life time of making mistakes. Oh to go back in time and correct all the wrongs. Be that as it may, listen to your elders, well except when we drink. Your aunt and I can tell some pretty wild tales. But here goes: Neither a borrower or a lender be – keep that student loan debt to a minimum. It is quite a lodestone to carry about ones neck. Don't get that new car, when a gently used one will suffice. Live below your means and save. Don't be like the Federal government and just spend, spend, spend willy nilly. We were able to retire early because we saved and lived frugally.

All things in moderation. Love, alcohol, shopping, don't let any one thing obsess your life. Have fun, I think your generation will find fulfillment in experiences. So set a bucket list now of the things that you would like to see and do. Then set aside the time and money and do a trip to Europe, a hike on a section of the Appalachian trail, a trip to the sewing machine museum in Nebraska – just be wild like that.

Oh, I could wax on, but by now you are ready for another beer and ready to spend the enclosed $50. Your aunt and I will be watching and hoping for the best for you. Best wishes for success where ever the road leads you.