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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, never
mind. You will not understand the power and
beauty of your youth until they've 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 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 4 pm 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 of 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 your
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're 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 with a 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 who
knew you 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.
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03/08/2014
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Roses and Pearls image Copyright © Elena Dudina
Surrender image Copyright © Corey Wolfe
Enchanted Music image Copyright © Bente Schlick
The Sad Angel image Copyright © Zindy
Sunscreen article by Mary Schmich (Chicago Tribune requires registration (free) as of 02/02/2004)
Sunscreen font from IconBazaar (dead link 09/2002)