If you could give a message to your past self in fifty words or less, what would it be?

And when and how in your life would you want to receive it?

Five years old seems about right to me: just old enough to understand or at least remember the message. I can imagine myself finding a note from future me when my family moved into the house in which I grew up, or maybe I’d just incorporeally whisper it in my own ear.

My message: Love and Magic are both real and imaginary. Your choices are yours, and you are your choices. Invest in Google and Apple, but be wary of technology. Be brave: fortune favors the bold. Developing self-discipline is the key to life, but live for Love. Keep playing fiddle and piano.

Well, that should take care of most of the cliches, anyway…