Things to Worry about

Thursday, 19 January 2012
Things to worry about


This is from the twitter feed of Shaun Usher... author of the blog Letters of Note.
He compiles a blog of interesting letters from the famous and non-famous.
Since some of us in this family are known worriers, I thought this lovely letter of F. Scott Fitzgerald's to his small daughter, might be interesting!

In 1933, renowned author F. Scott Fitzgerald ended a letter to his 11-year-old daughter, Scottie, with a list of things to worry about, not worry about, and simply think about. It read as follows.

(Source: F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters; Image: F. Scott Fitzgerald with his daughter, Scottie, in 1924.)

Things to worry about:

Worry about courage
Worry about cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship

Things not to worry about:

Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactions

Things to think about:

What am I really aiming at?
How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:

(a) Scholarship
(b) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?
(c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?

With dearest love,

Daddy...



I think it's quite quite lovely!!. What a wonderful letter to receive at the age of 11. I suspect his daughter was afraid of insects.. and perhaps she loved horseriding?/ Here is the the link to the original. http://www.listsofnote.com/2012/01/things-to-worry-about.html

I don't think I ever received a letter of wisdom from my father, and I suspect I didn't ever send one to my children either.(for which I apologise..I hope you are not all scarred and bitter and twisted over this omission on my part). My father did give me, at the age of 21 a copy of a little humorous satirical book of rhyme/poetry entitled "Cautionary Tales for Children". There had been a copy at home for as long as I remember, which I had loved growing up. The cautionary tales were little fables about the dire consequences which would ensue if a child were naughty.... such as "Matilda who told lies and was burned to death." I was never sure though, when he presented me with my own copy at the age of 21, whether he was giving it to me because he knew I loved it, or if it was his gentle way of saying I had been less than good!! Probably both I suspect!