A Letter to My Younger Self

By luigi_pagano

Wed, 22 Apr 2020
  • 1157 reads
6 comments
 
Dear Me, do you recall the day
when your teacher said, my boy
you are bound to go a long way
and to your delighted surprise
she handed you a bank book
which represented the prize
for having come top of the class?
You were told that that money
had to be saved not spent, alas.
 
Too young to realise the concept
of having to save for a rainy day
you were disconsolate and wept.
Your age and knowledge grew,
you gained wisdom and insight
and you saw the situation anew.
 
On hearing that squirrels stockpile
nuts in anticipation of cold weather
the understanding made you smile.
One day you shall have a nest egg
that will ensure your peace of mind
to be well off and not have to beg.
 
 
© Luigi Pagano 2020
Certificate U
Poem
Mutevoli pensieri
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by onemorething on

Good advice indeed. I'm terrible at saving. We should all be more like squirrels, I suppose. Enjoyed this advice, Luigi. Rachel x

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

I believe people's attitude to savings changes with age; the older one gets the more one thinks about retirement and the need for a safety net. In my younger days such thoughts never crossed my mind but I have always adopted Micawber's principles with my expenditure.
Thanks for stopping by.,

Luigi x

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

My mum was a great believer in saving, and I was in my teens before I realised that not everyone was marched down to the Post Office when they got their pocket money, to put the requisite proportion of it into the savings account.  Sadly, I take after my dad, whose reaction to finding a bit left over at the end of the month was always, 'There's that new restaurant just opened...'

Very much enjoyed this, Luigi.

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Jane, in my younger days, BC (before children) I enjoyed a carefree life by going to restaurants, theatres, travelling and holidaying abroad but I was never a spendthrift; I always kept an eye on my budget. My daughters were later to remark that I was forever counting my money. I kept telling them I was being careful. We used to be critical of the older generation but now that I have joined their rank I see things differently.
Thanks for reading and commenting,

Luigi x

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Ah! For those carefree days when life was for living, not saving. Children don't see money the same way adults do...well I didn't when I was young.

Interesting idea that your teacher gave you a bank book, I've never heard of that before.

Jenny. xx

 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Jenny, a saving account book was a scholastic prize I was awarded in Italy during my primary education. 
It was so long ago that I don't remember if it was a national or a local initiative. I do recall the amount in question which at the time (after the end of WW2) seemed a good sum : one hundred Italian lire.
What happened to it I haven't the faintest but it must have been spent at the earliest opportunity.

Luigi xx