I had the opportunity to ask some of Seattle’s most interesting folks this one question: What message or idea would you relate to your former 15 year old self, and what message would you hope to hear today from your 75 year old self? Here are their responses:

–Jake Uitti

Jessica Aceti (Movie Cat Trivia, Central Cinema Booker): Hmmm maybe “Right now is the best time of your life” for both. I need to think about it some more, that is my initial response… Actually I changed my mind. 75 Year old self is “Guess what?! They discovered a cure for death!”. 15 year old self is “You have one more year of being a crazy person and then you need to pull it together.”

Kelton Sears (Kithkin, Seattle Weekly): To my 15 year old self: “Cut your goddamn hair.” From my 75 year old self: “The apocalypse wasn’t all that bad actually.”

Ahsan Butt (Monarch writer, Improv. specialist): To my 15 year old self: Hey listen, you’ve got that conviction thing down. That’s great, you need that, but hey listen – stop looking for any arbitrary reason to negate opinions, perspectives, and people. Winning an argument doesn’t mean you’re right, it just means the other person doesn’t want to talk to you anymore. Don’t joust so much. Listen. Compile it all in your heart. Write a journal (why aren’t you writing every day?!). Keep doing whatever you’re doing about the acne, because it worked and I don’t know exactly what worked. So do all of it. But also, calm down. It worked.

From my 75 year old self: You don’t need a strategy other than the truth. The world actually works this way. Your success will work that way. Your happiness and fulfillment and spiritual evolution will work this way. The stress, second-guessing, and strategizing may seem practical, but you didn’t need them. Just. Trust. The. Truth.

Julia Massey (Singer/Songwriter): These messages would be the same, and quite simple: Hey Julia, don’t take yourself too seriously.

Justin Pinder (Rapper, works with Dr. Dre): I’d tell 15 year old me that ideas are everything. Never run out of ideas. Take your time, keep an open mind and be better everyday.

Oh, and be good to girls.

I hope 75 year old me is proud of himself and what he’s created in his life. If so/when so, I’ll probably tell myself to keep consistent and continue to search for and create balance. Continue to love, learn and inspire.

Taichi Kitamura (Chef): To 15 yr, “Some girl will actually go out with you and have sex with you.” From 75 yrs old, “Travel and see the world. Eat more good food and fish hard!” 

Chris Estey (Writer, Promoter): If I could tell my 15 year old self anything, it’s that the people who tried to discourage me from being creative because I was a punk brat, were full of shit and were only being that way out of their own insecurities, fear, and conformity. Take advice, but only take it so far. A lot of people are just judgmental, jealous, and rude. That’s why I love working with artists – I passionately enjoy giving them encouragement and opportunities to help them get to new levels, artistically and otherwise. If you’re feeling battle, you may be on the right Pirate Crew!

When I am 75, I hope that I am going to slap myself on the back and say, “You helped others. In this world, that’s worth more than being right or feeling superior. You may have been a madman at times, but you were never a fink or a nag to anyone else.” The end.

Aaron Mason (Grapes of Rad podcast host): Great question! I would tell my 15 year-old self to stop looking for validation from others. The only opinion about you that matters is yours. And don’t be afraid to fail; failure is not a bad thing. You can do anything in the entire world you want to do, but if you want to be any good, you have to fail first. Probably a lot.

I hope 75 year old me is rabidly curious and mentally flexible. I hope he tells me he found his niche.

Shaun Kardinal (Artist): At 15: hey dude that clean search engine with the colorful logo you just discovered? invest all of your money in it right now.

At 75: hey dude humanity made it and not in the worst way. I’m as surprised as you are.

Mindie Lind (Singer in Inly): I’d like to tell my 15 year old self that all those crazy dreams you have really can come true if you just chase the shit out of ‘em, plus dating really doesn’t get better so don’t even bother. Basically I’d like to tell her that boys are just boys, even when they are men, and your time is better spent thinking big, acting with courage and trusting your instincts and talents instead.

I’d like to hear a little bit about kindness from my 75 year old self. Both kindness for myself and kindness for others. It’s a big lesson that I know I have lots to learn on and could really use some sort of mantra from her.

Sean De Tore (Host of the mixtape Podcast): To 15 year old self: enjoy the present and try to create a life that makes you happy, fulfilled. Love openly and honestly and enjoy the company you keep. Be grateful. Also, Garbage Pail Kids will make a resurgence in the 2000’s so get excited for that.

75 year old: You did good, kid.

Shaun Scott (Movie Director, Writer): I‘d tell my 15-year-old self that the Knicks not winning a championship wasn’t personally my fault. And that it was stupid to assume the identity of the basketball team that I followed. I don’t know how many manhours of productivity I lost while trying to love something–a futile sports franchise–that refused to love me back. But I bet it was a ton. I should’ve jumped ship sooner.

I hope my 75-year-old self basically tells me that I’m right about everything. I mean, isn’t that what we want to find out when we’re 75? – that it all worked out exactly the way we wanted it to?

Adrian Ryan (Stranger Writer): Good question! I would tell my fifteen year old self to buy Microsoft stock, stop taking crap from Jim Varady, the notorious PE bully (he might be 600 feet tall and two million pounds, but he’s a total pussy and you can take him), and please stop using so much hair product, you’re destroying the environment. OH! And you have a lot more support that you can even dare to realize, so relax.

And what I’d like to hear from future me? Thank you for doing so much yoga and taking all those herbal supplements, you look fantastic, still screw like a bunny and poop like a bullet train. Thank you for quitting using so much hair product (you saved the environment!). And don’t worry—you DID outlast them all, and you actually DID dance on their graves, just like you always said you would.

Matt “Spek” Watson (Musician, Bitter Barista): At 15: Look to your heroes as examples of how you should live your life, don’t waste your time with the opinions of the small group of folks you’re trapped with now.

At 75: You did good. Things are better now then they used to be.

Rachel Belle (97.3 KIRO radio personality): Fifteen was the very start of my trouble-making years. It was the year I tried my first cigarette, puff of weed, sip of a Fuzzy Navel wine cooler. But 16 and 17 was when I went down the rabbit hole of doing-stupid-things-because-I-thought-it-would-make-me-look-cool. My current, 35 year old, self would indulge in all manner of dramatic, heroic, action movie efforts to get some messages across to 15 year old me: jumping from skyscraper roof to skyscraper roof, sprinting through burning buildings etc. But the main message would be about self-respect. Stand up for yourself! Don’t do unsafe things that are unhealthy for you because you think it will help you fit in! You don’t have to make out with your male friends, they should like you anyway! You have Father Issues, and that’s why you’re doing that! But you don’t know it yet! Don’t let the music you listen to and the cigarettes you smoke define who you are and who you can hang out with! Oh man, I have millions of lessons for 15 year old me! I was the happiest of messes.

I would like my 75 year old self to tell me what risks I should take now, that I would regret not taking later. Should I quit my job and travel the world, 75 year old self?

Caleb Thompson (Co-founder The Monarch Review, The Great Um): I suppose I’d tell my 15 year-old self to start worrying about money! The problem, of course, is that like most teenagers, 15 year-old me probably wouldn’t listen. I’d tell him that joy comes from helping other people, that friends and family are the most important thing in life. I’d tell him to be wary of trying to be too cool.

And if I were to get a message from 75 year-old me, I guess I’d want to hear that I’m on the right track, and that all the hard times and suffering is worth it toward the end!