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 bubblegum.
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 livingroom.
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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