For What it’s Worth …

F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1921

It’s with thanks to our dear friend and colleague Charles Miller that I’m writing this post. He sent me a quotation by F. Scott Fitzgerald that I’d read a long time ago but more recently forgotten. The quotation is from a short story Fitzgerald wrote in 1922 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, from which the 2008 film of the same name was adapted.

I’ve always liked these words. They’re a powerful call to choose our own destiny – to live a meaningful life, be the best we can be and experience the challenges and serendipities new feelings, different perspectives and ‘things that startle us’. Perhaps all the more poignant a call, given Fitzgerald’s personal struggles with alcoholism and depression.

Here are his words, shared for your appreciation as well:

For what it’s worth… It’s never too late, or in my mind to early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit.  Start whenever you want.  You can change or stay the same.  There are no rules to this thing.  We can make the best or the worst of it.  I hope you the make the best of it.  I hope you see things that startle you.  I hope you feel things you never felt before.  I hope you meet people who have a different point of view.  I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.