Dear Noah and Benjamin.

All that matters is love. Gravestones don’t read: “Here lays Benjamin. Car owner, Designer, Rich”. They read: “Here lays Noah. Father, Brother, and beloved Son”. Sometimes with a verse from the Bible. I don’t know.

Tell people how you feel. All the time. Every day. Remind them. You might never see that person again.

Money doesn’t matter as much as you think it does

Use all your talents, so that one day you can say: Thank you, I used everything you gave me. 

Connect with nature as often as you can. Take walks in fields, ride a bicycle in a forest, swim in the ocean, go snorkeling, fly kites in parks. 

People are going to hurt you. Find the ones worth fighting for and don’t let go of them. Find the ones that are actually worth the hurt

Forgive people. Don’t hold grudges. You don’t need that in your life. “How people treat you is their Karma. You you react, is yours”

Don’t judge and critisize people. You don’t know where someone has been.

Never go to bed angry. It doesn’t matter if you are exhausted or if it is four o clock in the morning. Settle and finish arguments as they arise. 

Do not drive drunk. You could hit a family driving home from dinner at Spur. That family could be ours. Don’t put other people’s lives in danger. Don’t make yourself vulnerable to harm. Be responsible. If things get out of hand, I will be there for you – I will fetch you. When you are older, organize a taxi before hand. Don’t take your car. Don’t put your own or other people’s lives in danger. 

Don’t state sentences like “Oranges are stupid”, say rather “I think that oranges are stupid”. It will make you sound a lot less abnoxious and arrogant.

Read books. All sorts. Fiction will feed your imagination, biographies will humble you, anthologies of verse will inspire you. Read. Read. Read. Gain information about as much as you can. Question things. Pick a favorite author. 

Always be nice.The asshole gets the girl. The nice guy keeps her.

Be a gentleman. Open doors, buy flowers, write letters, ask permission, be romantic. Let every woman in your life know that you adore and appreciate them. Not because of how they make you feel, but because of who they are. There is a difference. Learn it.

Be spontaneous, romantic, charming and adventurous. Be in love. Take chances. 

Know who you are. You cannot make decisions or affect anyone else’s life without sincerely knowing who you are and exactly what you want from your own life. It is irresponsible and unfair to involve another person (permanently) until you have established this.

Learn to cook a really brilliant signature dish that you know all the ingredients to, and can prepare without a recipe. 

Love animals. Learn to ride a horse. Keep an animal in the house. Walk someone else’s dog. Animals feed the soul.

Take care of yourself. Groom. Don’t bite your nails. Eat lots of fresh foods and fatty fish. Load your food with garlic, ginger and lemon juice. Don’t eat anything unless it contains a fresh fruit or vegetable. Try make that a rule. Try not to eat anything that contains more than 5g of fat per 100g. Read labels. 

Please don’t take drugs. I beg you. Keep your body and mind clean. Always let someone know what you are doing and where you are so that they are aware if something goes wrong. Watch the movies ‘Requim for a Dream’ and ‘Trainspotting’ before you go anywhere near that road. Do research on the drugs that you may be interested in. Learn what the side effects and addiction rates are before you consider taking them. Visit rehab centers. Speak to everyone except your friend that is trying to get you to take the drug. He just wants you to take it because he doesn’t want to feel like the ‘only one’ and he is insecure.

Be strong. Stand your ground. Don’t accept unfair treatment. Speak up when you are right. Apologize when you are wrong. If you were never wrong, then you could never be right. Listen to other people and learn from them. Be open-minded. There are so many opinions to learn from. Embrace the differences.

Learn to fight. You should always be able to defend yourself, and your family if need be. Take a self defence class, take up wrestling or karate. There are mean people out there that over power people or solve problems with violence. Give yourself the skills to defend yourself. 

Know how to fix things. To put up shelves. Fix a leaky tap or broken toilet. Own a drill and a toolbox. Make things. Try make a bookshelf / headboard / coffee table. Use your strength. 

No matter what happens or how old you are… if you are in trouble then you can phone me to come and get you. I will never judge you. Life is going to happen, and all that matters is that you are safe. Even if it is three in the morning. Phone me. I am always here for you. I love you. 

Respect women. We are fragile creatures and we are not like men. We are softer. We are feminine. We are nurturing and loving. Hold us, reassure us, love us. Take care of us. Ge gentle, kind -yet strong and confident. Appreciate and listen to us. Let us know that we matter. In return we will be graceful, beautiful and caring in a way that a loved woman is. In return, we will love you. Deeply.

Table manners and etiquette are signs of respect for your host/guest. Manners are a sign of class and breeding. Also… don’t make your mother look bad. Represent.

Learn about history and geography. Know how the earth works, and how man became who we are today.

Dance. Skip. Run. Play. Grow old, but don’t grow up. Not yet. Not ever.

Marry someone that is intelligent and that you have a strong connection with. Don’t bother with looks. If you really love someone, you will think / know that they are the most beautiful person on earth. Don’t marry someone based on a physical attraction. Marry someone because you can’t live without them.

To be continued…