Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Prudent Advice for Every Woman
    Prudent Advice for Every Woman
    Prudent Advice for Every Woman
    Ebook147 pages1 hour

    Prudent Advice for Every Woman

    By Jaime Morrison Curtis

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Thoroughly modern and atypically witty, this keepsake edition overflows with insight that is occasionally time-honored (There is no substitute for baking soda), sometimes tactical (Anytime you are debating whether to shower or not, take the shower), and other times incredibly profound (When something tragic happens to someone you care about, do not ignore them just because you don't know what to say). This primer of 500 lessons, observations, and knowledge--originally compiled for the author's baby girl--is a compelling guide to finding beauty in the world and in oneself, with a distinctly fresh twist.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
    Release dateOct 21, 2014
    ISBN9781449460808
    Prudent Advice for Every Woman

    Related to Prudent Advice for Every Woman

    Related ebooks

    Relationships For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Beware The Love-bomber

      Dec 1, 2022

      It’s hard to resist the thrill of being love-bombed. I’ve been warned countless times that it’s a potential red flag when someone is so immediately forthcoming with their affection, but I’m too much of a romantic to be so cynical. Or maybe I’m just t

      3 min read

    • Article

      Poisonous Partnerships

      Oct 9, 2019

      Poisonous Partnerships
      2 min read

    • Article

      True Love Means Loving Yourself

      Sep 26, 2016

      True Love Means Loving Yourself
      3 min read

    • Article

      You Said It

      Apr 21, 2023

      WINNING LETTER Think before you get divorced, a family member said. A woman of your age (about 54 at the time) will battle to find a man. Men prefer younger women. I suddenly felt rather insignificant. I was defined by whether I had a man? I had a qu

      5 min read

    • Article

      Dear Peppermint

      May 24, 2023

      I’ve been reading Peppermint for a little while now and just received my first subscription, which I’ve been eagerly waiting for since being gifted it for Christmas. The article ‘Take Heart’ made me tear up. As a person who wears her heart on her sle

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Creative Hero’s Journey: 5 Reasons You Should Write Your Book, Paint Your Picture, Sing Your Song

      Dec 9, 2021

      Estimated reading time: 10 minutes — I used to be a professional disease hunter, a board-certified surgical pathologist. I was the M.D. in a white coat who stared at your skin (or breast, brain or bone, etc.) biopsy under the microscope and let your

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Son

      Mar 5, 2020

      A Letter To My Son
      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Feb 16, 2024

      I loved the article ‘How to make friends as an adult.’ I am halfway to 60, and over the past few years my friend group has diminished quite drastically, mainly due to factors such as immigration, change of life, age and, of course, the after-effects

      4 min read

    • Article

      Run Your Own Race

      Oct 27, 2023

      Run Your Own Race
      4 min read

    • Article

      My story Remembering Bob

      Jun 17, 2020

      My story Remembering Bob
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Happiness Course

      Apr 14, 2021

      JUST as Family and Friends Divided had become Friends Reunited and the wretched Trump era laid to rest, Harry and Meghan gave their Oprah interview and a whole new Grand Canyon opened up again. This chasm really surprised me because my team was aston

      4 min read

    • Article

      My story Remembering Bob

      Jun 17, 2020

      My story Remembering Bob
      6 min read

    • Article

      Over To You

      Aug 15, 2023

      We pay £30 for every published letter I think I know where Olly Mann was coming from in his column “Saturday Sabbath”. He likes to keep one day per week for relaxation. Good for him! We all look forward to our days off, whether it’s a weekend, a pers

      3 min read

    • Article

      Family Ties

      May 2, 2021

      Family Ties
      4 min read

    • Article

      Happiness is Yours

      Jun 14, 2022

      Happiness is Yours
      2 min read

    • Article

      What Grandpa Taught Me

      May 27, 2022

      What Grandpa Taught Me
      4 min read

    • Article

      Water marked

      Apr 21, 2023

      Water marked
      6 min read

    • Article

      Join The Weekly CONVERSATION

      Feb 19, 2023

      Recently, I read Kerre Woodham’s excellent article on positivity. I daresay if I was to know Kerre and her mum, they would be on my “best buddies” list. One’s mindset can be one’s best friend or one’s worst enemy at my stage of life at 68 years. Thos

      5 min read

    • Article

      Queen Of Common Sense.

      Dec 10, 2020

      Queen Of Common Sense.
      9 min read

    • Article

      Let Your Garden Grow

      Jun 14, 2022

      Let Your Garden Grow
      4 min read

    • Article

      Planting Seeds

      Jan 4, 2024

      Planting Seeds
      6 min read

    • Article

      Share The Love

      Jul 21, 2021

      It’s amazing how a simple act of kindness can mean so much. Something as small as sharing a smile can make a person’s day. Recently I was invited to speak to 800 gorgeous tamariki, across two sessions, for the Kind Hearts in Schools programme in Palm

      2 min read

    • Article

      Comfort

      Jan 28, 2023

      Comfort
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Prudent Advice for Every Woman

    5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Prudent Advice for Every Woman - Jaime Morrison Curtis

      Sharing your thoughts can help us

      improve our ebooks. We would

      appreciate your feedback.

      Thank you!

      ebooks@amuniversal.com

      For Scarlet, Joleen, Niko, Clare,

      Quinn, and Madison

      A ship in harbor is safe,

      but that is not what ships are built for.

      — John A. Shedd

      Introduction

      Like many mothers, after my daughter was born I found myself in the hormonal haze of new love and sleepless disassociation. Bleary, bloated, and preoccupied with a notion of impending loss, my particular anxieties formed themselves into a sort of tunnel—an inescapable shot from point A (my sudden and overwhelming sense of responsibility) to point B (my certainty that I could not fulfill that responsibility). As my attachment to my baby grew deeper, the channel only grew darker, narrowing until it began to consume me with a pointed suspicion that something was about to go horribly wrong. An irrational, but very real, distress grew inside of me. It manifested itself as an almost obsessive fear that I would pass away, leaving my young child motherless, unintentionally, yet unavoidably, abdicating the one true responsibility I had ever known—my duty to raise her. And so I woke every day (every two hours, in fact) with a sinking feeling that our dewy bubble of love would burst and my worst fears would be realized—the most final evidence that I could not fulfill my duties would come to pass. Aware that this sensation was on its way to robbing both myself and my young daughter of the joy of our new family, I set out to conquer it. My first step was simply to write. As the words fizzled across the page like so many champagne bubbles, feelings of promise, hope, and, surprisingly, congratulations started to surface. I allowed myself a small amount of praise for having birthed her, and saw her in a new light: as a woman-to-be who had made her way into the world. Somewhere between my first written words and the final 500 pieces of prudent advice, my anxiety evaporated, and in its place a sense of purpose emerged.

      I felt a compulsion to record for her my deep love, as well as the hopes and expectations I had for her. I wanted to gather lessons from her aunts, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers that would encapsulate for her the tools that could assist her in finding her own happiness. Whether regarding politics, friendship, or simply doing laundry, I wanted to share with her the collected knowledge of her family’s women and dive into my own head to put into words the things I had learned and hoped would benefit her. Through this process, I ascertained that so many of life’s lessons for young women boil down to the core values of thoughtfulness and generosity, but they often seemed quaint or even irrelevant in today’s context. For my unique daughter, I needed to create a fresh take on how to apply those universally respected qualities to the large and small challenges of life as a woman today.

      So I created a list of prudent advice for my baby daughter. Many women saw my list as a seed, an invitation to contemplate their own legacy to their families and to share it in the present. I believe that is a worthy effort that will reward any woman. By having access to this assembled wisdom, girls will know the depth of consideration and love they were given, and as a result will have a solid springboard into their own independent lives, as well as a soft place to land at home.

      It is possible, if not likely, that I may still fail my daughter, but I have found some peace knowing that I tried, with every particle of intention I could summon, to show her she was considered, loved, and imbued with a sense of responsibility to herself and to this world. My hope is that as you read this book, alone or with a young woman you love, the wisdom collected within will bring you similar repose.

      1

      Always send a thank-you note.

      This has served your mother and grandmothers well for generations and seems a fitting place to start.

      2

      Try to know what is bubbling around

      inside your heart.

      Your heart is a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water. And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That’s it. That’s my heart.

      —Kafka on the Shore,

      Haruki Murakami

      3

      Don’t underestimate your father’s

      ability to understand you.

      Or any man’s for that matter.

      Set high expectations.

      4

      When given the opportunity,

      wear a costume.

      5

      Learn to love cooking if you can.

      If you can’t, still have a few simple dishes

      that you can prepare well.

      Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

      Cut the hard bottoms off the stalks of a bunch of asparagus.

      Wrap four pieces of asparagus in one piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick that has been soaked in water. Repeat with remaining asparagus.

      Sprinkle generously with coarse salt.

      Grill over medium heat until the bacon is crispy and the asparagus is browned.

      6

      Wash your face twice a day.

      And apply moisturizer with sunscreen.

      Nice skin will be important to you someday.

      7

      Make time for the art museum

      in every city you visit.

      You learn much about a city and yourself when you see its art collection. A good museum will fill your chest until it feels as though your heart could explode.

      8

      A dog is a loyal friend from whom you will

      learn the nature of love and devotion.

      9

      Give lots of hugs to everyone you care for.

      This is one of your father’s most endearing qualities.

      10

      Offer your seat to elderly and

      pregnant people.

      And help them with their bags.

      11

      Thank those who offer you assistance

      in their native language.

      Thank you, Danke, Merci, Gracias, Grazie, Gratia, Efcharisto, Obrigada, Xie Xie, Arigato, Mamnoon, Tak, Köszi, Khawp khun, Dakujem, Toda, Köszönöm, Mahalo, Mese

      12

      Whenever possible, take the train.

      13

      You have a garden.

      If you ever get sad that you don’t have a garden of your own, remember that you have hundreds of beautiful gardens all over the city and all over the world. Try to erase the language of want from your head. You have everything that you need.

      14

      Appreciate the weather.

      It is one of the few uncontrolled experiences of nature you will have if you live in the city.

      15

      Tip the person who handles your luggage.

      16

      Call if you are going to be late.

      But try to be on time.

      17

      Be generous.

      With your time, your money, your heart. If, on my best day, there was a single lesson I could hope to impart to you, this would be it.

      18

      When you are a preteen, read

      Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, and

      Gone with the Wind.

      I have been saving my copies for you since I was a young girl myself.

      19

      If you have a daughter who can’t sleep,

      sing In My Life to her.

      This is your favorite lullaby. You gently pat my face with your tiny hands while I sing it to you, and by the end of the second round you are asleep. John Lennon wrote this in 1964, the year after his son Julian was born. It is my personal opinion that he wrote it thinking

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1