Dear Courtney,
1986 WAS a great year! Leg warmers kept us cozy. Playing games like PAC-MAN was fun, and an easy distraction from the real world. We were all about surrounding ourselves with bright and upbeat colors - everything from our clothes to our bedroom walls - hot pinks, sky blues and purples - reflecting a happy and hopeful time.
Like you, we had bold and bright ideas - about upcoming Saturday nights at the roller rink or parties. About the future - maybe marriage, kids, and careers. We would and could have it all, we heard!
But the years ahead may get harder and more complicated. Things all around you will change. George Michael and Michael Jackson will be gone. Madonna will be old! Going to the mall may not be such a cool, fun, or even doable thing to do. Driving around may seem fun now, but someday, it may suck, because it's for errands, commuting to work, or shuttling kids to endless activities and practices.
But some things you can still expect - things that involve people and relationships. These rarely change with the times. I’d like to offer five pieces of advice to you based on some of the top songs of 1986.
Forever,
A Gen X Girl
In good times, in bad times, value friendships - That’s What Friends Are For. Take care of your favorite friendships, because this is something you can count on. And your friends from 1986 that you’ll still be talking to as a grown-up? Hold on to those the most.
You WILL find yourself Addicted to Love. It will come in the form of a person or the idea of it. There is not much you can do about it, and no way to prepare yourself. It may suck, but you know you will survive.
Sometimes, as Howard Jones sang, No One Is To Blame. Life isn’t always fair. “You can build a mansion, but you just can't live in it. You're the fastest runner but you're not allowed to win.”
Have fun – Party All The Time while you can. It gets harder when you’re working all day, parenting, paying bills, choosing between so many good shows to stream, and are just so tired at night.
So much will happen in your teen years and twenties. You WILL Live To Tell about it all.
