June 14, 2010

oh man...this still holds up

I read this a few years ago and love it...and still agree with it.  (especially about the sunscreen, beauty magazines, worry and love)

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, 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 p.m. 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.

(Chicago Tribune: 01/06/97)"

— Mary Schmich

25 comments:

  1. Good advice, well taken! Holly and Richard are on vacation at a lake in Arkansas and everytime I've talked to her I remind her about sunscreen!! hahaha
    :)

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  2. great post... loved this! may i link to it? :)

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  3. ok... i took the liberty and did link it! hope that's ok .... ?? :)

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  4. I LOVE THIS !
    and the sunscreen.....i just got back from my "every 4 month" dermatology appt. where all is okay.....

    after skin cancer, they really like to watch you !

    now i don't have to go back for 6 months...i've been a very good girl !

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  5. I remember this from back then. Good advice is just timeless, isn't it?

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  6. great post! too bad it takes most of us to our older years to figure this out!

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  7. oh, i love this song. i listen to it every morning while checking emails :-p
    x

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  8. I haven't heard those words in quite some time. True advice to listen too. If only my daughters would get with the Sunscreen program! lol!

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  9. well, this is pretty much perfect!

    and love the blog makeover!

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  10. Oh I remember this one. Some guy but it to music for the class of '99...wait a minute while I try to find it...Baz Luhrmann put it to music. I love it.

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  11. excellent advice!

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  12. I LOVE that text. I read it a long time ago and everytime I do I fell in love again.

    Love!
    xxx

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  13. I SOOOO Remember this!!! I am laughing!! :) Just found your post over at Manda's blog...
    Anyways..I am living in South Africa now with my hubby and the sunscreen thing is definitely true!!!

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  14. i So remember this! and i still say~ amen sister, amen. : )
    xo

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  15. This is one of my favorite pieces and I haven't read it in a long time...thank you for posting it. So many truths in one essay. I think everyone should have it on their desk or fridge.

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  16. This is great...I'm not sure I've seen it in its entirety. The part on friendship is near and dear to my heart - having just had a chance to visit with one of my oldest friends from junior high school, and am saying goodbye to someone who is moving far away. Keep in touch. No matter what. Thank you for the post.

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  17. I ADORE this and have never seen it...
    AWESOME...thanks for the smiles.
    Char.x.

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  18. I love your post... it's sooooo true...

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i feel as if each comment was between us as we sat and sipped something warm....i love to hear what you're thinking.