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<\/p>\nSometimes there are things that just grab you… 11 years ago, the “Wear Sunscreen” song by Baz Luhrmann grabbed me. \u00a0I remember the first time I heard it, I was in my car on my way home from my first ‘adult’ job that I had. \u00a0I will admit that I got teary eyed as some of this I had already experienced – the loss of my Mother as well as my brother. \u00a0The song was a short-lived\u00a0phenomenon though and it, along with its advice, fell to the wayside in my mind along with I’m sure many of your minds. Today I heard this on internet radio and I was almost brought to tears again. \u00a0In those 11 years since I’ve heard those pearls of wisdom I’ve lost my father and grandmother, got divorced, remarried and gained siblings. \u00a0I’ve always thought I was fat. \u00a0I listen too much to the wrong people and take too much to heart. \u00a0I also don’t wear sunscreen.<\/p>\n
Today I was reminded to not sweat the small stuff, take pleasure in the simple things and wear sunscreen.<\/p>\n
Maybe you need the reminder too?<\/p>\n
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Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of \u201999,
\nIf I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be\u00a0it.
\nThe long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by\u00a0scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable\u00a0than my own meandering\u00a0experience\u2026I will dispense this advice now.<\/p>\n
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not\u00a0understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
\nBut trust me, in 20 years you\u2019ll look back at photos of yourself and\u00a0recall in a way you can\u2019t grasp now how much possibility lay before\u00a0you and how fabulous you really looked\u2026.You\u2019re not as fat as you\u00a0imagine.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as\u00a0effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing\u00a0bubblegum.<\/p>\n
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that\u00a0never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm\u00a0on some idle Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Do one thing everyday that scares you.<\/p>\n
Sing.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be reckless with other people\u2019s hearts, don\u2019t put up with\u00a0people who are reckless with yours.<\/p>\n
Floss.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you\u2019re ahead, sometimes\u00a0you\u2019re behind\u2026the race is long, and in the end, it\u2019s only with\u00a0yourself.<\/p>\n
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you\u00a0succeed in doing this, tell me how.<\/p>\n
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.<\/p>\n
Stretch.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t feel guilty if you don\u2019t know what you want to do with your\u00a0life\u2026the most interesting people I know didn\u2019t know at 22 what they\u00a0wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year\u00a0olds I know still don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Get plenty of calcium.<\/p>\n
Be kind to your knees, you\u2019ll miss them when they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019ll marry, maybe you won\u2019t, maybe you\u2019ll have children,maybe\u00a0you won\u2019t, maybe you\u2019ll divorce at 40, maybe you\u2019ll dance the funky\u00a0chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary\u2026what ever you do, don\u2019t\u00a0congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either \u2013 your\u00a0choices are half chance, so are everybody else\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Enjoy your body,\u00a0use it every way you can\u2026don\u2019t be afraid of it, or what other people\u00a0think of it, it\u2019s the greatest instrument you\u2019ll ever\u00a0own..<\/p>\n
Dance\u2026even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.<\/p>\n
Read the directions, even if you don\u2019t follow them.<\/p>\n
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.<\/p>\n
Get to know your parents, you never know when they\u2019ll be gone for\u00a0good.<\/p>\n
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the\u00a0people most likely to stick with you in the future.<\/p>\n
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you\u00a0should hold on. \u00a0Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and\u00a0lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you\u00a0knew when you were young.<\/p>\n
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live\u00a0in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.<\/p>\n
Travel.<\/p>\n
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will\u00a0philander, you too will get old, and when you do you\u2019ll fantasize\u00a0that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were\u00a0noble and children respected their elders.<\/p>\n
Respect your elders.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,\u00a0maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one\u00a0might run out.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will\u00a0look 85.<\/p>\n
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who\u00a0supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of\u00a0fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
\nugly parts and recycling it for more than\u00a0it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n
But trust me on the sunscreen\u2026<\/p>\n