Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?97 (and beyond...)
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 scientistswhereas the rest of my advice has no basismore reliable than my own meandering experience
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;oh nevermind; you will notunderstand the power and beauty of your youthuntil they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you?ll look back at photos of yourselfand recall in a way you can?t grasp nowhow much possibility lay before you andhow 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 effectiveas trying to solve an algebra equationby chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your lifeare apt to be things that never crossedyour 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 behindthe 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 lifethe most interesting people I know didn?t know at 22what 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 anniversarywhat ever you do, don?t congratulate yourselftoo much or berate yourself eitheryour choices are half chance, so are everybody else?s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you candon?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 peoplemost 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 lifestylebecause 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 fantasizethat when you were young prices were reasonable,politicians were noble and childrenrespected 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 pastfrom the disposal, wiping it off,painting over the ugly parts and selling it for more than it?s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen!
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