What’s funny is, in writing this now, I’m on my fourth rewrite. Each time this ends up being several paragraphs too long, going on several tangents Family Guy-style and missing my own point. But if there was something I’d want to tell my younger self, it’s to take to heart a quote that I heard when I was younger. If you haven’t figured out by my handle, I’m a fan of anime, and one show that has stuck with me for the longest time is Neon Genesis Evangelion. In one episode, a new lead character is introduced and moves into the small apartment of the others, and like other stereotypical brash characters, she’s complaining, particularly of the thin Japanese-style sliding doors. The host of the apartment pops in to state, “The Japanese way is to consider the priorities and needs of others before one’s own,” meaning that the openness of the room is way to connect with everyone else. Spoiler, but in the end, it’s when she starts thinking about others that things ultimately start turning to the better for her, ultimately sacrificing her life for others.

So, to make this short and sweet, take care of others first. Everyone says karma is a…well…negative thing, but it can also be good. Making sure that your friends and family are taken care of and that they have what they need should come before yourself. In the end, when you are the one that needs the help, well…good karma will have a way of coming back to you. And never EVER keep track of favors you’ve done for others. “The only time you should be looking at your neighbor’s bowl is to make sure that they have enough.”