Wear Sunscreen
- by Mary Schmich [Chicago Tribune]
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, never mind.
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 are 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 every day 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 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 your 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 in 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'll 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.
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, never mind.
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 are 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 every day 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 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 your 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 in 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'll 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.
2 Comments:
Great Words from someone who has more life experience :D this really allows me to put things into perspective
That's a lot of good advice. That's the kind of thing that should be read at birthday parties and graduations. And read again in a couple years. Thanks for passing it along.
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