When you’re a kid,

You don’t think, you just do.

Kids are compulsive in the best way

Making snap decisions not based on their incomes,

but on the budgets of their imaginations.

When you’re five years old and you want to ride a bike,

You go ride a bike.

When you want to be a princess,

You go be a princess.

When you want a candy bar from the grocery store,

You wail and nash your teeth until Mom gives in.

Compulsion runs wild through the veins of youngsters

But when you grow up,

Compulsion comes back to bite you in the ass.

Nothing can be spontaneous anymore;

Suddenly every decision affects your future

It’s like playing connect the dots with your life,

And if you don’t play your cards right

All your chips can vanish right before your eyes.

It’s not easy,

being seventeen;

When all you want is love and acceptance

but instead all you are given is packets about financial aid

And costs of test booklets

And lectures on being practical in your major

because you wouldn’t want to end up with your hands to the sky

Praying for dollars to fall from the clouds

Holed up on the side of the road

all because your dreams just weren’t sensible,

would you?

I don’t know a lot about life,

But I do know some things,

and if I could tell you anything,

I’d tell you to fuck inhibitions.

Be as compulsive and spontaneous as your six year old self.

You want to ride a bike?

Go ride a bike.

You want to be a princess?

Go be a princess.

You want to be the next somebody?

Please, go do it.

Who cares about impracticality when life hardly makes sense at all?

You’ve got all your life to learn your lessons

So make your mistakes now

And just live in your youth.

I don’t know much about life,

But if I could tell you anything,

It’s that first love is a bitch,

But your last one will be worth it.

And if I could tell you more,

I’d tell you that it’s possible to get nostalgic for another person

And to get homesick for a certain pair of arms.

I’d tell you

To never take kisses for granted

Because you don’t know when you’ll have your last one.

I’d tell you that self respect is just as important as respect for others,

And if I could tell you anything

I’d tell you that the smell of cologne

Can bring back more memories than a scrapbook ever could.

I don’t know much about life,

But if I could tell you anything,

I’d tell you that there will be days when you will be rendered absolutely speechless.

The words will not metriculate to your mouth

and you will not be able to talk.

Mute.

But speech will come in time

And you will find the perfect words to say

to set yourself free

Until you’re an obnoxious chatterbox,

But there might be someone out there who talks as much as you do too,

and I'd tell you that when you talk you can find parts of yourself you never knew existed,

Or maybe you just find out who you really are,

And if I could tell you anything,

I’d tell you that’s the best feeling of all.