|
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one 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 and beauty of your youth until they
have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at 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 bubblegum. 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 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…what
ever 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 you're 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… |
