| |
|
|
|
|
Ladies and Gentlemen of
the class of '99.....Wear Sunscreen
If I could offer you only tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The
long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the
rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering
experience...I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; Oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power of beauty of your youth until they have faded. But
trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at the photos of yourself and recall
in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how
fabulous you really looked...You're not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the
future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve
an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life
are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that
blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing that everyday that scares you.
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who
are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're
behind...the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in
doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life...the
most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you
won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on
your 75th wedding anniversary...whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself
too much or berate yourself either- your choices are half chance, so are
everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don't be afraid of it, or what
other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Be
nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people
most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should
hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the
older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in
Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when
you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children
respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe
you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time it's 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling
it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen...
i personally prefer the baz
luhrman version
[home]
[links]
[roo]
[peeps]
[me]
[latest] |