All the Wrong Questions is a children's book series by Lemony Snicket, and is a precursor to A Series of Unfortunate Events. The mystery books contain the special mysterious charm that most Lemony Snicket stories have, and all of the wit and wisdom you could hope for from having the luxury of Snicket himself as the narrator. Here are some of the most helpful lessons I've learned from reading the series.
It’s bad for you to never do anything bad for you.
This one rings true for many walks of life. While seemingly self-explanatory, I believe it can be stretched much farther than just the simplicities it might imply. Yes, it's unhealthy for a person to never eat a single cupcake in their adult life because they are worried about the calories, processed sugars, and potential pink frosting that may stain their teeth. For someone to not once indulge in one of life's simplest pleasures, one that we are very fortunate to have, living in a well-developed nation where sugar and the likes are available in plenty, is harmful to one's sense of what is important in life. I think that eating a cupcake every once in a while reminds us that we are here in order to experience, not to preserve. By that same token, I think that never doing anything bad for you can also pertain to taking risks, or trying something one would have normally warded off as dangerous. Without ever taking a chance, or opening one's mind to the possibility of stepping outside their little box because what might lie outside of it won't directly benefit them in the future, this again strays towards the outlook that we must preserve ourselves instead of simply living. It's okay to have fun once in a while, in summary. Forget your homework for one night, you'll be glad you did.
If too many people see you getting rides everywhere, they get the impression you belong in a car seat.
As someone who commends themselves on their independence, this rung especially true for me. I have taken the train to and from school, an hour at least each way, every day since my sophomore year of high school. I bike twelve plus miles during the summer to meet up with friends so that I don't have to ask anyone for a ride. I think that being self-sufficient is one of the most underrated skills a person can have, and it's true. When I see people who cannot fend on their own, who constantly are in need of someone to help them out, there begins to be a negative connotation around it. Are you really still needing your mom to run your show for you?
There’s nothing wrong with occasionally staring out the window and thinking nonsense, as long as the nonsense is yours.
Letting yourself go for a little while, allowing your mind to run free is totally acceptable, I would say even encouraged. Imagination is among one of our mind's greatest gifts, and it boggles me to think that it lies unused by so many people. Take time our of your day, even, to sit and think about, draw, or paint whatever it is that interests you, or even make something up that catches your liking more. Nonsense is a wonderful thing, and you should come up with some sometime.
Do the scary thing first, and get scared later.
Occasionally when walking into a friend's apartment, or meeting up with someone for a first date, I will tell myself this. I am not one to get incredibly anxious, but I would be lying if I said I never got sweaty palms. Sometimes though, the best way to get over the fear of doing a thing is simply to do it, and don't think anything of it. Trust yourself that whatever happens in the moment, you will respond smartly and you will be yourself. Entering the ring, so to speak, of meeting new people will not get any easier by waiting outside the door and worrying about it, so do yourself a favor and get in there, have a good time, and pat yourself on the back afterwards because Congrats! You just did the scary thing.
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