Marcel’s Instructions for Life
Written Summer of 2000
Read at Fitzgerald’s July 1, 2008
Lindsie Bear gave this to me the day of Marcel’s funeral. She explained to me that she had come home and Marcel told her that he had had an epiphany. He presented her with this document that he had written on a paper towel (of course!). He was 21 years old.
Instructions for Life
- Take into account that great love and great achievement involve great risk.
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
- Follow the three “R”s: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.
- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful lesson.
- Don’t let a little dispute spoil a great friendship.
- When you realize you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
- Spend some time alone every day.
- Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
- A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
- In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
- Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
- Be gentle with the earth.
- Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
- Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
- Judge your success by what you had to give in order to get it.
- Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon (freely give).
