Somewhere, Nowhere's Ten Commandments
reap and ye shall sow
Art above all else. In your sparkly-eyed days and your depths of despair, you must never cast it aside. Consume it, allow it to consume you, abandon the idea that you can’t create it too.
Love is the final thing. It’s what we aspire to, be that conscious on our part or not. Thus, you must search for it in yourself, and accept the radical idea that we all contain within us the capacity to love. Yes, even that person who couldn’t seem to ever give it to you. (Note: this does not include those who’ve given over to a reprobate mind.)
Know thyself. Sit with You - whoever that person may be. Sit her down at your kitchen table, and pour her a cup of coffee. Tell her to stay awhile.
Embrace failure. Welcome it, cup it in the palms of your hands, as a small, shaking creature. Kiss its gumdrop head and set it free.
Read Read Read! A small book of poems, a cartoon from the Sunday paper, something you loved as a kid before you ‘grew too old’ for it. Read aloud, or on a wooden park bench. There’s no right way to hold a story in your hands (though my favorite is a book that smells of time).
Unknown Artist The child within you, loves you. Therefore, you must love that child too. She never went away, how silly of you to think she did! As you go about your days, be sure to give her attention. Hold her little body in your arms and tell her nice things.
Isolation, brief periods of it, is necessary to learn to sit with oneself, but let not your ability to be alone cause you to mistake introversion for self-sufficiency.
The Hermit card, as seen in Tarot Cats are holy creatures. Learn from their natural proclivity for boundaries. We could all take on a bit of their pompous attitude and turn it into self-respect.
Never assume that your loved ones will always be around. Let your grandparents ramble on. Get over yourself - let your mother baby you! Tell your dad you love him. Tell everyone you love them.
Find God. Far be it from anyone to tell you that your God is wrong. But for the sake of all that is good, find something to believe in. Because yes, you do need structure. You do need reverence.
Mater Dolorosa by Carlo Dolci
Still wise centuries beyond your years!