instagram

A beautiful poem has been circulating for decades. It has appeared in magazines, been quoted in emails, and, in recent years, found new life in memes and Instagram Reels. The gist of the piece, often referred to as the "Pick More Daisies" poem, is a letter to a former self offering nuggets of wisdom about embracing life before it's too late.

The poem is often attributed to a woman named Nadine Stair, who was said to be 85 years old at the time of publication. It appeared under her name in the Association for Humanistic Psychology newsletter in July 1975. The only issue is that some claim no such woman ever existed. Digging deeper, many also claim it was originally written by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, while others cite Robert Hastings, and still others list the author simply as "anonymous female."

In his essay "Who Would Pick More Daisies?" Benjamin Rosen explores plagiarism and the internet's ability to fool readers.

The original template for the piece, which varies depending on the attributed writer, appears to trace back to Don Herold. It appeared in College Humor magazine in 1935. Regardless of which version circulates online today, the poem's central idea remains unchanged and continues to resonate with readers.

Herold's original piece was this:

"If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would be crazier. I would be less hygienic. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would burn up more gasoline. I would eat more ice cream and less bran. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones."

After the piece caught fire, Herold wrote a longer version, which was published in 1953:

"Of course, you can't unfry an egg, but there is no law against thinking about it.

If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes. I would relax. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I know of very few things that I would take seriously. I would be less hygienic. I would go more places. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less bran.

Three people hold ice cream in their hands. Photo by Mark Cruz on Unsplash

I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary troubles. You see, I have been one of those fellows who live prudently and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I have had my moments. But if I had it to do over again, I would have more of them—a lot more. I never go anywhere without a thermometer, a gargle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had it to do over, I would travel lighter.

It may be too late to unteach an old dog old tricks, but perhaps a word from the unwise may be of benefit to a coming generation. It may help them to fall into some of the pitfalls I have avoided.

If I had my life to live over, I would pay less attention to people who teach tension. In a world of specialization, we naturally have a superabundance of individuals who cry at us to be serious about their individual specialty. They tell us we must learn Latin or History; otherwise, we will be disgraced and ruined and flunked and failed. After a dozen or so of these protagonists have worked on a young mind, they are apt to leave it in hard knots for life. I wish they had sold me Latin and History as a lark.

I would seek out more teachers who inspire relaxation and fun. I had a few of them, fortunately, and I figure it was they who kept me from going entirely to the dogs. From them I learned how to gather what few scraggly daisies I have gathered along life's cindery pathway.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted a little earlier in the spring and stay that way a little later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I would shoot more paper wads at my teachers. I would have more dogs. I would keep later hours. I'd have more sweethearts. I would fish more. I would go to more circuses. I would go to more dances. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I would be carefree as long as I could, or at least until I got some care—instead of having my cares in advance.

A woman runs and jumps barefoot in a sunny field. Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash

More errors are made solemnly than in fun. The rubs of family life come in moments of intense seriousness rather than in moments of light-heartedness. If nations—to magnify my point—declared international carnivals instead of international war, how much better that would be!

G.K. Chesterton once said, 'A characteristic of the great saints is their power of levity. Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly. One 'settles down' into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. A man falls into a 'brown study'; he reaches up at a blue sky.'

In a world in which practically everybody else seems to be consecrated to the gravity of the situation, I would rise to glorify the levity of the situation. For I agree with Will Durant that 'gaiety is wiser than wisdom.'

I doubt, however, that I'll do much damage with my creed. The opposition is too strong. There are too many serious people trying to get everybody else to be too darned serious."

A recent viral post featured this version, which clearly borrows some of the same prose:

"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

(Nadine Stair, 85 years old, Association for Humanistic Psychology Newsletter, July 1975)"

This has inspired many to share bits of wisdom with their younger selves. One Instagrammer writes, "A letter to my younger self. Enjoy life along with working hard. Don't trust people easily. Notice red flags in men and leave them the next moment. Be more grateful of whatever blessings you got. You will be just fine."

Another commenter adds, in part, "For what it's worth—it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whomever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same."

Another person notes that this wasn't, in fact, a letter written to her former self. Instead, it was a warning shot. "It was not a letter she wrote for herself. It's a message to the younger generation." They add their own interpretation, saying, "Go out more often. Enjoy the nature. Make mistakes. Learn from them."

Yet another person offers a different take, suggesting that choosing not to be quite as adventurous may have led to a longer life. In other words, do whatever you'd like: "Better thank yourself cos that boring life got you to 85!!"

One commenter puts it succinctly: "Embarrassment is an unexplored emotion, go out there and make a fool of yourself."

Getting a tattoo by a dog. Giphy

And here's one more piece of advice to chew on: It's never too late to get a tattoo. "Always take the chances! Do the different things! And we LIVE every day! It is never too late! She needs to go do those things now❤ As a tattoo artist, I've given 90-year-olds their first tattoo. As a mother of 2 and 44, I'm a certified wing-walker (that's me upside down on the wings of an airplane in my profile) ☺️ LIVE your life to the fullest!"