A How-To Manual to Life
I often think back on this book I read several times as a young teen. I think it was called something like “Just Us Girls.” It was basically a manual on how to be a teenager girl. I remember the author wrote about having a pair of esperillas in every color of the rainbow. I remember too that she suggested instead of making a To-Do list that on a day you felt like you were accomplishing nothing, instead make a list of tasks as you can complete them so you could look back and see how much you actually had accomplished. I don’t remember much else about that book that I’m pretty sure I read at least three times, cover to cover. There was a similar ‘Instructions to Life’ book, written by Brooke Shields that I remember reading during those years too. I remember that she said to keep a notebook by your bed and that if you were unable to sleep not to just lay there awake but make lists or whatever- be productive and clear your mind. I also can’t remember if it was a technique to wake up or settle down, but she suggested stretching your body by starting with your toe and working up your body in small increments. That’s about all I remember from that book- except I’m pretty sure there were make-up tips and comments about the food at Princeton. I liked those books. I liked someone explaining to me how to live. What the directions were to life. I wish I could find one of those books today. I wish I could find a book that would tell me how to eat, when to eat, how to get more energy, how to manage my time, how to be a better mother, how to keep a clean house, how to make friends, how to find time for it ALL. Sure, I suppose their might be books on those subjects, but not one big fat synthesized MANUAL FOR LIFE. And, boy oh boy, how I wish there were.
