dear Bridget: the respect

Dear Bridget,

At this point in your life, you’ve no doubt heard a lot of lectures about authority. About how you should respect authority figures. And you’ve got a lot of those—teachers, parents, friends’ parents, etc. But as you get older, those authority figures will become fewer and fewer.

Don’t get me wrong, there will be plenty of people who will attempt to be authorities. But here’s a secret: once you’re an adult, you get to have more control over who’s an authority in your life. (more…)

dear Bridget: be okay with you

Dear Bridget,

You may not think so now, but it’s kind of a cool thing to be in the process of growing up.

The older you get, the more you grow to know and understand yourself. You get to encourage the traits you like, reshape the ones you don’t. You can look at people you admire and emulate the positive traits you see in them.

You’re shaping yourself. You’re becoming something, choosing what kind of adult you want to be. (more…)

dear Bridget: pile it up

Dear Bridget,

It’s that time of year. The time when people think about what they’re thankful for and celebrate holidays with family. It forces us to look at the good. Although really, how long does that last?

Here’s the thing: we always have a choice. Not just during this season, but all year long.

I could look at all the bad stuff that’s happened in my life. I could pile piece upon piece until I have a mountain of “why did that happen” and “it’s not fair” and stories that would make people feel sorry for me. When you pile up all of those, it starts to look like a pretty impressive mountain of bad, and it’s easy to think the good can’t outweigh it. (more…)