List No. 112

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT

F. Scott Fitzgerald

1933

Scottie was just 11 years old and at camp many miles away from her family when, in August 1933, she received a heartening letter of advice from home. It was written by her father, F. Scott Fitzgerald, a man responsible for penning some of the most acclaimed novels of recent times and someone for whom the art of writing letters was clearly a breeze. This particular missive contained a charming and timeless list of things for his daughter to worry/not worry about.

Things to worry about:

Worry about courage

Worry about cleanliness

Worry about efficiency

Worry about horsemanship

Worry about …

Things not to worry about:

Don’t worry about popular opinion

Don’t worry about dolls

Don’t worry about the past

Don’t worry about the future

Don’t worry about growing up

Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you

Don’t worry about triumph

Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault

Don’t worry about mosquitoes

Don’t worry about flies

Don’t worry about insects in general

Don’t worry about parents

Don’t worry about boys

Don’t worry about disappointments

Don’t worry about pleasures

Don’t worry about satisfactions

Things to think about:

What am I really aiming at?

How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:

(A) Scholarship

(B) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?

(C) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?

With dearest love,