C a r o l y n D a u g h t e r s

In 1933, 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.

Scott and Scottie Fitzgerald 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 … Continue Reading

I’ve been helping my teenage mentee study for her final exams, which run from today through Friday. We grabbed a table at Starbucks and started with a close reading of scenes from The Great Gatsby. I’d forgotten how hysterical the drunk people are in that book. Sure, they’re hollow and careless, and Nick, the book’s narrator, says Gatsby’s “worth the whole damn bunch put together,” but man those people are funny. One drunk guy tries to drive his car away from the scene of a serious accident he has caused even though his car is now missing a steering wheel. Frightening. And … Continue Reading